: ^,- ; '■- 




Kiel i es. Fame kedempt him aside: hut if he heeds tfie divhti 
'7i Iredktrs ; storms 3c floods.- old age totters with wasting years 
•t flight, or rise to endless, Uissfid, glorious day/ 



THE 



BOOK OF SIMILITUDES: 

ILLUSTRATED BT A SERIES OF 

EMBLEMATIC ENGRAVINGS j 

ALSO 

%\t Jnnnpl (E&tnis 

CONNECTED WITH THE 

RELIGIOUS HISTORY 

OF THE WORLD, 

FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD TO THE PRESENT TIME: 

WITH X PARTICULAR DESCRIPTION OF MANY 

REMARKABLE EVENTS. 



BY JOHN W. BARBER, 

AUTHOR OF SEVERAL HISTORICAL AND RELIGIOUS "WORKS. 



" I have used similitudes." — Hosea xii. 1 




NEW HAVEN, CONN.: 

PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR FOR 

JUSTUS H. BK^DLEJY. 

J. H. BENHAM, PRINTER. 

1860. 



MANHOOD 




^tf&j*** T «*x*xxrmm i 






M iHK!51ffp l 



©SL© 



7 



61;*-- 



■ '^- ? ,WlMr' Delight nltheSfe. 

. i/>/,-ii//iT, Mt<</miiw t 

Jig Mi I 



fheWickectilf 

|///c />M/*ih:<< of A 
< forever, 'Him 









"r-JW/Wrt 



vuirni Ayw.v" Life's Voyage" ////./ /"A-bytt scenes:- danfrshtrk around .Fancfs liiBles float heforehim: Pleasure^ Rickes. Fame Stciempt him aside, but if he heeds tlu divine 
Guide book, he safdy makes his passager manhood seesyAtJdul visions pass away, and guideslus loaded lark through breakers, s t 'onus. I- floods*- old are totters with wasting years 
laden with Infirmities, with shattered hark passes into iln sea unknown. . shoreless, fafhomtess, eternal , to sink in decpeH night, or rise to endless, lUssfuL. glorious day.' 



THE 



BOOK OF SIMILITUDES: 



ILLUSTRATED BT A SERIES OF 



EMBLEMATIC ENGRAVINGS ; 

ALSO 

%\t f rinnpl (£fonfs 

CONNECTED WITH THE 

RELIGIOUS HISTORY 

OF THE WORLD, 

FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD TO THE PRESENT TIME: 

WITH A P ARTICULAR DESCRIPTION OF MANY 

REMARKABLE EVENTS. 



BY JOHN W. BARBER, 

AUTHOR OF SEVERAL HISTORICAL AND RELIGIOUS WORKS. 



"I have used similitudes." — Hosea xii. 




NEW HAVEN, CONN.: 

PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR FOR 

JUSTUS H. BK-^DILEY. 

J. H. BENHAM, PRINTER. 

1860. 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1860, 

BY JOHN W. BARBER, 
In the Clerk's office of the District Court of Connecticut. 






PREFACE. 

The art of communicating truth to the understanding of all 
men by emblems, parables and similitudes, has bee inn use 
among all nations from the remotest antiquity, and is sanc- 
tioned by the highest possible authority. 

Many portions of divine truth are forcibly and beautifully 
illustrated by similitudes. The Prodigal Son, the Good Sa- 
maritan, the Good Shepherd, and many other parables are 
striking demonstrations of this truth. These illustrations are 
in reality, pictures to the mind, corresponding with pictorial 
representations to the eye. When both are united in one 
publication, on many subjects, a double advantage is gained 
over mere precept, in language universally intelligible. 

The author of this work, many years since, was engaged 
taring and finally issuing a work similar in its main 
o the publication now presented. From the recep- 
tor '■. nas received, it has encouraged another effort of the 
same kind, which he believes will be found equally worthy 
of attention. 

In the preparation of this work, the author has acted con- 
scientiously. He who attempts to give instruction to others 
by any power or faculty which the Almighty has assigned 
him, is bound to use it for His glory and the best good of his 
fellow men. He has no right to suppress any truth of impor- 
tance on subjects introduced, to gain popular favor. He feels 
in some measure the responsibility of what he is attempting 
to perform. 



IV PREFACE. 

Taking the Bible for a standard, the compiler has not hesi- 
tated to use the ideas, language, <fcc., of others, whenever he 
considered them adapted to the object he had in view. The 
emblematic and historic engravings are, for the greater part, 
almost wholly from new and original designs. 

Believing that the work, as a whole, will prove to be in- 
teresting to many readers, he trusts its influence will be found 
on the side of the great and vital interests of religion and 
morality. 

J. W. BARBER. 

New Haven, Conn., 1860. 



THE BOOK OF 
SIMILITUDES 




(Drawn by J. W. Barber.) 

His days arc determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast, 
appointed his bounds that he eannot pass. Job xiv. 5. For what is your life ? 
it is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 
James iv. 14. Vanity and vexation of spirit. Eccl. i. 14. 

A VISION, OR PICTURE OF HUMAN LIFE. 

[Varied from the vision of Mirza, by Addison.] 

Behold the multitude upon their march, 
Across the bridge upheld by many an arch ; 



THE BOOK OF 

All ranks, all ages, all degrees we find, 

All ills, all joys, attendant on mankind : 

Onward they press, but see, where'er they go, 

What numbers fall into the depths below. 

Here battle hurls its thousands from the brink, 

And numbers more in hidden pitfalls sink: 

Bubbles, of rainbow tints, float in the view ; 

Their ranks grow thin while they the mists pursue; 

Bold adamantine rocks rear high around, 

Along whose base a narrow path is found : 

Fair mansions shine afar on smiling plains, 

Happy is he who entrance there obtains, 

And dark his doom, of sadness and of woe, 

Who finds no passage from those realms below. 



On a certain day, devoted to religious purposes? 
I retired to an elevated situation, in a mountainous 
district, for meditation and prayer. While here, I 
fell into a profound contemplation on the vanity of 
human life: and, passing from one thought to 
another, surely, said I, man's existence here seems 
but a mysterious shadow, and his life a troublous 
dream. While musing on this subject, I fell into 
a dream, or vision. Methought an angelic being 
stood before me, with a look of compassion and 
affability, and bade me follow him. 

This heavenly being then led me to the highest 
pinnacle of the rock, and placing me on the top of 
it, cast thy eyes eastward, said he, and tell me 
what thou seest. I see, said I, a deep valley, and 
a great tide of water flowing through it. The 
valley that thou seest, said he, is this lower world, 
called by some the vale of misery, and the tide of 
water which thou seest, is part of the great tide of 
eternity. 

What is the reason, said I, that the tide I see 
rises out of a thick mist, at one end, and again loses 



SIMILITUDES. 7 

itself in a thick mist at the other ? What thou 
seest, said he, is that portion of eternity called time, 
measured out by the sun, and reaching from the 
beginning of the world to its consummation. Ex- 
amine now, said he, this sea which is bounded at 
both ends, and tell me what thou discoverest in it. 
I see a bridge, said I, standing in the midst of the 
tide. The bridge thou seest, said he, is human life ; 
consider it attentively. 

Upon a more leisurely survey of it, I found that 
it consisted of threescore and ten entire arches, 
with several broken arches, which, added to those 
that were entire, made up the number of about an 
hundred. As I was counting the arches, my con- 
ductor told me that this bridge consisted, at the 
first, of one thousand arches, but that a great flood 
swept away the rest, and left the bridge in the 
ruinous condition I now beheld it ; but tell me fur- 
ther, said he, what thou discoverest on it. I see 
multitudes of people passing over it, said I, and a 
black cloud hanging on the end of it. 

As I looked more attentively I saw several pas- 
sengers dropping through the bridge into the great 
tide flowing underneath it ; and upon further ex- 
amination, perceived that there were innumerable 
trap-doors that lay concealed in the bridge, which 
the passengers no sooner trod upon, than they fell 
through them into the tide and instantly disappear- 
ed. These pit-falls were set very thick at the en- 
trance of the bridge, so that throngs of human be- 
ings no sooner broke through the cloud, but many 



8 THE BOOK OF 

of them fell into them. They grew thinner towards 
the middle, but multiplied and lay closer together 
toward the arches that were entire. 

There were indeed some persons, but their num- 
ber was very small, that continued a kind of hob- 
bling march on the broken arches, but fell through 
one after another, being quite tired and spent, after 
so long a walk. I observed also that several per- 
sons, about the middle of the bridge, had become 
so weary of their journey that they refused to tra- 
verse the bridge any longer, but threw themselves 
over its side into the dark waters below. 

I passed some time in the contemplation of the 
wonderful scene before me, and the great variety 
of objects which it presented. My heart was quite 
moved, and filled with melancholy, to see several 
dropping unexpectedly in the midst of mirth and 
jollity, and catching at every thing that stood by 
to save themselves. Multitudes were very busy in 
catching at bubbles which glittered in their eyes, 
and danced before them; but often when they 
thought themselves in reach of them, their footing 
gave way, and they sunk into the depths below. 
Some were looking up towards the heavens in a 
thoughtful posture, and in the midst of a specula- 
tion, stumbled and fell out of sight. 

About the middle of the bridge, I observed bodies 
of armed men running to and fro, and thrusting 
large numbers of their fellows on the trap-doors 
and pit-falls, which did not seem to lie in their way, 
and which they might have escaped, had they not 



SIMILITUDES. 9 

been thus forced upon them. I observed, also, that 
he who was the most expert, and who succeeded 
in casting the largest number into the tide below, 
was held in the greatest estimation by his fellows, 
and his name was proclaimed from one end of the 
bridge to the other. 

While viewing these melancholy scenes, I per- 
ceived nights of birds hovering about the bridge, 
and settling upon it from time to time ; some of 
these were of beautiful plumage, but most of them 
were of the unclean kind, such as vultures, ravens, 
cormorants, &c. Not comprehending this, I looked 
up to my conductor for information. These, said 
he, are malice, envy, avarice, superstition, despair, 
love, with the like passions and cares that infest 
human life. 

I here fetched a deep sigh. Alas, said I, man 
was made in vain ! how is he given away to misery 
and mortality ! tortured in life, and swallowed up 
in death ! My heavenly conductor being moved 
with compassion towards me, bid me quit so un- 
comfortable a prospect. Look no more, said he, 
on man in the first stage of his existence, in his 
setting out for eternity ; but cast thy eye into that 
thick mist into which the tide bears the several 
generations of mortals that fall into it. 

I directed my sight, as I was ordered, somewhat 
upward, and (whether or no the good conductor 
strengthened it with any supernatural force, or dis- 
sipated part of the mist that was before too thick 
for the eye to penetrate,) I saw the valley opened 



10 THE BOOK OP 

at one end, and spreading forth into an immense 
ocean, that had a high rock of adamant running 
through the midst of it, and dividing it into two 
equal parts. Clouds and pitch darkness appeared 
on the left of the adamantine wall, while on the 
right, amid the bright waters, were discovered in- 
numerable islands, having beautiful mansions, de- 
licious fruits, and flowers of every hue. I perceived 
that all the wicked, when they fell from the bridge, 
passed into the abode of darkness, while the right- 
eous were conducted to regions of light and glory. 

I could see persons dressed in glorious habits, 
with crowns and garlands upon their heads, pass- 
ing among the trees, lying down by the side of 
fountains, or resting on beds of flowers. I also 
heard the voice of harpers, " harping upon their 
harps." Ever and anon I heard heavenly music 
from myriad voices round, rising like the voice of 
many waters, soft, solemn, and sweet. The light 
of the glory of the Eternal beamed into every habi- 
tation, and into every heart. The joy of every one 
was full, for God himself dwelt among them, and 
all sorrow and sighing had forever fled away. 

My soul was filled with gladness at the discovery 
of such a delightful and heavenly scene, and I wish- 
ed myself in that blessed region. I wished for the 
wings of an eagle, that I might fly away to those 
happy mansions, but my conductor told me there 
was no passage to them, except through the gates 
of death, that I saw every moment upon the bridge. 

The islands, said he, that lie so fresh and green 



SIMILITUDES. 11 

before thee, studding everywhere the vast expanse 
of bright waters, are more than thou canst number. 
The mansions that thou seest are imperishable, 
they endure forever ; the trees and bowers, clad in 
living green, decay not ; the bright and beautiful 
flowers wither not, but bloom in an eternal spring. 

These heavenly places are prepared for the abode 
of the good of all ages and nations, after death ; each 
of the numberless islands and mansions are adapted 
precisely to the wants and capacity of those who 
inhabit them. There are degrees in human virtue ; 
some excel others, and will be rewarded accord., 
ingly. All the righteous will be happy, but there 
are different degrees, as there will be in the punish- 
ment of the wicked. As one star differeth from 
another in glory, so will it be hereafter with the 
souls of the righteous. 

Are not the rewards of the righteous worth con- 
tending for ? said my conductor. Is death to be 
feared, that conveys thee to so happy an existence ? 
I gazed with inexpressible pleasure on these happy 
islands. Beholding some new manifestation of the 
divine presence and glory, I sunk overpowered with 
ecstacy. Recovering, my conductor had left me ; 
the vision had departed. I was alone, and instead 
of the vast flowing tide, the arched bridge, the mul- 
titude passing over it, and the happy islands, I was 
in the midst of a familiar grove ; and, instead of 
heavenly and ravishing music, I heard, in the dis- 
tance, the " church-going bell" calling the villagers 
to their evening worship. 



12 



THE BO OK OF 




The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Jer. xvii. 
9. Filled with all unrighteousness. Rom. i. 29. The habitation of devils. 
Rev. xviii. 2. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, 
^c. Matt. xv. 19. 

THE UNREGENERATE HEART. 

See here, the heart of sinful man ! it swarms 
"With unclean beasts, the vices' various forms ; 
The flaunting Peacock, well his Pride portrays, 
And Folly by the Ape's unmeaning ways: 
Deceit, the Serpent's wily arts disclose, 
And Murder's form, the foul Hyena shows. 
Ill-will and anger in the Tiger live, 
And fierce Revenge, that knows not to forgive ; 
Fraud aptly shows the weeping Crocodile, 
Whieh draws its victim by its piteous wile : 
The servile Toad, the type of Covetoumess, 
The Goat, the emblem of Licentiousness ; 



SIMILITUDES. 13 

The grovelling Swine, the gluttonous man must show, 
"Who sinks his nature, meanest brute below, 
Blindness of mind, the darkness of the soul, 
"We find depicted in the groping Mole ; 
All these, the emblems of the soul are seen, 
A cage of beasts and reptiles, base, unclean. 

The engraving annexed is an emblematic repre- 
sentation of the heart of man, while in his unregene- 
rate state, in the sight of God. It is filled with 
living and hateful creatures, who make it their 
abode, and are represented as breaking out from 
its surface on every side. From the number, va- 
riety, and character of the beasts, reptiles, &c, ex- 
hibited, it may be said to be like fallen Babylon, 
" the habitation of devils, the hold of every foul 
spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." 

" Whatever infidels may say respecting the in- 
nocence and virtue of mankind," says a celebrated 
divine, " He that made man, and that best knows 
what he has made, gives a different account of him. 
He informs us "that the heart of man," of all man- 
kind, of every man born into the world, " is despe- 
rately wicked," and that it is " deceitful above all 
things :" so that we may well ask, " Who can 
know it ?" 

Pride and Folly, represented by the Peacock 
and Ape, are seen as rising from the unregenerate 
heart. This was first in heaven itself, by " Lucifer, 
son of the morning," till then, undoubtedly " one 
of the first, if not the first, arch-angel." " Thou 
saidst, I will sit upon the side of the north — I will 
be like the Most High." Here was pride — here was 



14 



THE BOOK OF 



the true origin of evil. Hence came the inexhaust- 
ible flood of evils upon the lower world. When 
Satan had once transfused his own self-will and 
pride into the parents of mankind, all manner of 
wickedness soon rushed in ; all ungodliness and 
unrighteousness, shooting out into crimes of every 
kind, soon filling the earth with all manner of abomi- 
nations. Folly may oftentimes have the semblance 
of wisdom, but it is appearance only, as the form 
of an ape has a resemblance to that of a human 
being, but upon a closer inspection he is found to 
be nothing but a beast. 

Deceit and Murder are among the first crimes 
which appear in the human heart. The Serpent, 
the form and emblem of the first deceiver of man- 
kind, may be considered as an emblem of deceit ; 
and the Hyena, who, wild and savage in appear- 
ance, tears open graves and feasts upon the bodies 
of the dead, may represent the murderer. Deceit, 
in some form, is universally prevalent among man- 
kind. The celebrated John Wesley, in 1 733, made 
the following entry in his memorandum book : " I 
am this day thirty years old; and till this day, I 
know not that I have met with one person of that 
age, except in my father's house, who did not use 
guile, more or less." The devil is stated to be a 
" murderer from the beginning ;" " a liar," and his 
children, or those over whom he has influence, have 
the spirit within. 

Anger and Ill-will, represented by a growling 
tiger, have been defined by an ancient philosopher, 



SIMILITUDES. 15 

" a sense of injury received, with a desire of re- 
venge." This passion seems inherent in the hu- 
man heart, and where is the human being who has 
not been guilty of indulging this feeling ? Revenge, 
one of the direst of passions, is nearly allied to 
anger, and it may be said to proceed from it. It 
stops at nothing that is violent, or wicked. The 
histories of all ages are full of the tragical outrages 
that have been executed by this diabolical feeling. 
See how it glows in the breast of the Indian savage, 
on account of real or supposed injuries. Neither 
time nor distance can assuage his thirst for revenge. 
He pursues his victim through forests, floods, and 
fields, by night and day, through cold and heat, if 
so that he can imbrue his hands in the blood of his 
enemy. 

A certain Italian, having disarmed his enemy, 
and got him completely into his power, told him 
that there was no possible way for him to save his 
life, but to renounce and curse Jesus Christ, the 
Savior of the world. The miserable and timorous 
wretch, in order to save his life, immediately did 
it. With a demoniacal smile, the Italian exclaimed, 
" I will now have my full revenge — I will destroy 
thy soul and body at one blow !" and immediately 
struck him dead on the spot. 

Fraud, the vice so common among the wicked, 
has been often represented by the Crocodile, as this 
creature, it is said, in order to bring men or beasts 
within reach of its rapacious jaws, utters forth a 
piteous and distressful cry. Some say that it de- 



16 THE BOOK OF 

yours whatever it catches, all but the head, and 
then weeps because there is no more to satisfy its 
ravenous appetite. However this may be, " Croco- 
dile's tears" have become a proverb. A covetous 
and earthly-minded disposition is sometimes repre- 
sented by the figure of the toad, who gets its living 
close to the earth. 

Licentiousness and Gluttony, (represented by a 
Goat and Hog,) are termed beastly vices, as by them 
man is assimilated and degraded to the level of a 
beast. Guilt is represented by the Bat, a creature 
partly partaking of the nature of a beast, and partly 
that of a bird. It seeks obscurity, and generally 
moves, or flies about, during the shades of night, 
and appears to have a peculiar aversion to the light 
of the sun. Blindness, moral or spiritual, is repre- 
sented by the mole. The eyes of this animal are 
extremely small, and perfectly hid in its fur, and it 
is said by naturalists, that it has the power of 
withdrawing or exerting them at pleasure. He 
that is spiritually blind, becomes so by his own 
choice, and, like the mole, has the power to with- 
draw his eyesight from objects he does not like to 
contemplate. 

The wisest of heathens have borne testimony to 
the universal depravity of the human heart. It 
was indeed their common opinion, that there was 
a time when men in general were virtuous and 
happy : this they called the golden age. The ac- 
count of this was spread throughout almost all na- 
tions, which probably had its origin in the account 



SIMILITUDES.. 17 

given by inspiration of our first parents in the gar- 
den of Eden. But it was generally believed that 
this happy age had expired long ago, and men are 
now living in the midst of the iron age, at the com- 
mencement of which, the poet says : 

" Immediately broke in, 
With a full tide, all wickedness and sin, 
Shame, truth, fidelity, swift fled away, 
And cursed thirst of gold bore unresisted sway." 

Deceit, anger and murder stalked abroad. The 
earth soon became a field of blood. Revenge, 
cruelty, ambition, with all sorts of injustice, every 
species of public and private wrongs, were diffused 
through every part of the earth. Hatred, envy, 
malice, blood-thirstiness, with every species of 
falsehood, rode triumphant ; till the Creator, look- 
ing down from heaven, would be no more entreat- 
ed for an incorrigible race, but swept them off from 
the face of the earth. But how little were the 
following generations improved by the severe judg- 
ment ! Those that lived after the flood do not ap- 
pear to have been much, if any, better than those 
who lived before it. 

Wickedness, in all its forms, soon overspread the 
earth, in every nation, city and family. Hence, it 
is a melancholy truth, that (unless the Spirit of God 
has made a difference) all mankind now, as well as 
those four thousand years since, " have corrupted 
their ways before the Lord ; and every imagination 
of the thoughts of man's heart is evil, only evil, and 
that continually.' ' From the heart springs every 



18 THE BOOK OF 

species of vice and wickedness ; hence every sin 
against God, our neighbors, and ourselves. Against 
God — forgetfulness and contempt of God, of his 
name, his worship, his word, his ordinances ; athe- 
ism on the one hand, and idolatry on the other, 
love of the world, desires of the flesh, pride of life, 
covetousness, &c. The love of honor, that cometh 
from men, the love of the creature more than the 
Creator. 

There is in the unregenerate heart such an inex- 
haustible source of ungodliness and unrighteouness 
deeply and strongly rooted in the soul, that nothing 
less than Almighty grace can remove it. Hence 
arises a harvest of evils, among which is : 

" That foul monster, "War, that we meet, 
Lays deep the work, the noblest work of the creation ; 
"Which wears in vain its Maker's glorious image, 
Unprivileged from thee." 

In the train of war, are murder, violence and 
cruelty of every kind. And all these abominations 
are not only found in heathen nations, but also in 
what are called christian countries. How artfully 
does the unregenerate heart conceal from itself its 
desperate wickedness! "Who knoweth his own 
heart ? Who can tell the depth of its enemy against 
God ? Who knoweth how deeply it is sunk into 
the nature of Satan ? From these considerations, 
may we not learn that "he who trusts his own 
heart is a fool !" How many, even in this life, by 
casting off the fear of God, and trusting their own 
hearts, have reduced themselves to miserable ex- 



SIMILITUDES. 19 

tremities. There is a striking example of this in 
the life of George Yilliers, created, by James I, 
Earl, Marquis, and afterwards Duke of Bucking- 
ham, and invested with many high and lucrative 
offices. He is described as a gay, witty, noble- 
man, with great vivacity, but a pretended atheist, 
without any principles of honor or integrity. He 
was finally disgraced and sent to prison, where he 
died in great want and obscurity, despised by all 
the world, an example of what a depraved and 
unregenerate heart sometimes brings its possessor 
to even in this world. His situation is thus de- 
scribed by Mr. Pope : 

" In the worst inn's worst, with mat half hung, 
The floor of plaster, and the walls of dung ; 
On once a flock bed, but repair'd with straw, 
With tape-tied curtains, never meant to draw, 
The George and Garter dangling from that bed, 
Where tawdry yellow strove with dirty red, 
Great Villiers lies : alas ! how chang'd from him, 
That life of pleasure, and that soul of whim ! 
No wit to flatter left of all his store ! 
No fool to laugh at, which he valued more ! 
There, victor of his health, of fortune, friends, 
And fame, this lord of useless thousand ends." 



20 



THE BOOK OF 




Great peace have they that love thy law. Ps. cxix. 165. Blessed are tht 
peace-makers. Matt. v. 9 On earth peace and good will to men. Luke 
ii. 14. Righteousness, peace and joy. Rom. xiv. 17. 

PEACE. 

Behold the seraph robed in spotless white, 

Peace, Heaven's own daughter, in its radiance bright, 

"Within her hand the Olive branch she bears, 

And the meek lamb, her gentle nature shares. 

Above, on outspread pinions, floats the dove, 

The snowy emblem of a Father's love, 

The shield she bears is love, she lives to bless, 

The law she bears, resting on righteousness. 

Beyond, beside the Indian, gentle Penn, 

In friendly treaty meets his fellow men, 

Takes from the red man's hand the pipe of peace, 

And seeks to bid all hostile feelings cease. 

The soldier waves the flag of truce above, 

That tells of friendliness, and truth, and love. 

Hail heaven-born Peace f who came to shed below, 

The light of joy, to banish human woe. 

Clad in simple garments, white and clean, an 
emblem of purity unsullied, Peace, the daughter of 



SIMILITUDES. 21 

Heaven, stands forth, holding the olive branch in 
one hand, and the shield of Love in the other. She 
holds up the law, which rests on, or is firmly up- 
held by, the sure foundation of Righteousness. She 
wards off the attacks of her enemies by the shield 
of Love; a lamb, the emblem of innocence and 
harmlessness, is seen by her side. 

In the back ground, is seen William Penn, the 
founder of Pennsylvania, in the act of making a 
treaty of perpetual peace with the Indians, one of 
whom, having the pipe of peace, is taking him by 
the hand : on the other side is the figure of a war- 
rior, holding up the white flag of truce. Above 
them all is the figure of the dove, an emblem of the 
Holy Spirit, whose influence pervades the whole 
scene. 

In a religious sense, the word peace signifies every 
blessing that relates either to the soul or the body,, 
to time or eternity. Peace-makers, are those lovers 
of God and man, who utterly abhor all strife and 
debate, all variance and contention ; and, accord- 
ingly, labor with all their might either to prevent 
this fire of hell being kindled, or when it is kindled, 
from breaking out ; or when it is broken out, from 
spreading any farther. They endeavor to calm the 
stormy spirits of men, to quiet their turbulent pas- 
sions, to soften the minds of contending parties, and, 
if possible, to reconcile them to each other. It is 
the joy of their heart to promote, to confirm, to 
increase mutual good will among men, especially 
christian men, that they may " walk worthy of the 



22 THE BOOK OF 

vocation wherewith they are called ; with all low- 
liness, and meekness, with long-suffering, forbear- 
ing one another in love ; endeavoring to keep the 
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." 

" But, in the full extent of the word," says a 
celebrated divine, " a peace-maker is one, as he has 
opportunity, doeth good unto all men ; one that, 
being filled with the love of God, and of all man- 
kind, cannot confine the expressions of it to his own 
family, or friends, or acquaintances, or party, or 
to those of his own opinions — no, nor those of who 
are partakers of like precious faith ; but steps over 
all these narrow bounds that he may do good to 
every man, that he may some way or another mani- 
fest his love to his neighbors and strangers, friends 
and enemies. He does good, not of one particular 
kind, but good in general, in every possible way ; 
employing herein all his talents of every kind, all 
his powers and faculties of body and soul, all his 
fortune, his interest, his reputation ; desiring only, 
that when his Lord cometh, he may say, ' Well done 
good and faithful servant !' " 

The treaty of William Penn with the Indians has 
acquired a wide celebrity. It was made in the 
spirit of love, good will, and kindness towards the 
Indians. This treaty between the Quakers, or 
Friends, on one part, and the Indians on the other, 
is one of the few which has been faithfully kept 
by both parties. " It was sanctioned by no formal 
oath," says one, "and it is about the only one 
which was ever kept." Such was the spirit of 



SIMILITUDES. 23 

kindness and peace manifested by Penn and his 
companions, that it is said that the Indians never 
killed or injured a Quaker, knowing him to be such. 

Unarmed, except by Love, in danger's hour, 

Penn moves midst savage men ; his power they feel : 

All-conquering love ! more mighty in thy power, 
Than thundering cannon, or the glittering steel. 

Like coals of fire, it melts the stubborn will 
Of those who lurk like tigers for their prey, 

"With savage hate, with murderous aim to kill, 
The warrior stops, looks up, and owns thy sway ! 

And he who's girt around by Love, may stand 

Firm as if circled by a wall of fire ! 
Hate will not lift 'gainst him the murderous hand, 

And feelings dire, now melted down, expire 1 

There is no true peace which can ever be incor- 
porated with a worldly, or an irreligious life — no 
true peace which can accord with the ignorance or 
pride of infidelity. But great peace have they who 
live by the faith of the Son of God, and love God ? s 
law. The peace of God rules and quiets their 
hearts amidst the storms and troubles of life, and 
amid every change, they are passing from strength 
to strength, anticipating, by faith and confidence, 
the blessedness and the security of an eternal world. 
Amidst the storms and tempests, there is a calm- 
ness in the breast of those who do the will of God. 
They are at peace with God, by the blood of re- 
conciliation ; at peace with themselves, by the an- 
swer of a good conscience, and the subjection of 
those desires which war against the soul ; at peace 
with all men by the spirit of charity ; and the whole 
creation is so at peace with them "that all things 



24 THE BOOK OF 

work together for their good." "No extremes can 
rob them of this " great peace ;" heavenly love sur- 
mounts every obstacle, and runs with delight " the 
way of God's commandments." 

Says one, who is giving an account of the peace 
of God which many have felt at the hour of their 
dissolution, " We can only say, that it is an unspeak- 
able calmness, and serenity of spirit ; a tranquility 
in the blood of Christ, which keeps the souls of be- 
lievers, in their latest hour, even as a garrison keeps 
a city ; which keeps, not only their hearts, all their 
passions and affections, but also their minds, all the 
motions of their understanding and imagination, 
and all the workings of their reason, in Christ 
Jesus." ***** 

The Apostle, in writing to his Roman brethren, 
says, " If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, 
live peaceably with all men." Says a commentator, 
" To live in a state of peace with one's neighbors, 
friends, and even family, is often very difficult. But 
the man who loves God must labor after this ; for 
it is indispensably necessary, even for his own sake. 
A man cannot have a misunderstanding with others, 
without having his own peace materially disturbed. 
He must, to be happy, be at peace with all men, 
whether they will be at peace with him or not. 
The Apostle knew that it would be difficult to get 
into and maintain such a state, as his own words 
amply prove — and if it be possible, as much as lieth 
in you, live peaceably. Though it be but barely 
possible, labor after it. 



SIMILITUDES. 25 

" The more quietly and peaceably we all get on, 
the better — the better for ourselves — the better for 
our neighbors. In nine cases out of ten, the wisest 
course is, if a man cheats you, quit dealing with 
him ; if he is abusive, quit his company ; if he slan- 
ders you, take care so to live that nobody will be- 
lieve him : no matter who he is, or how he misuses 
you, the wisest way is generally to let him alone ; 
for there is nothing better than this cool, calm, 
quiet way of dealing with the wrongs we meet 
with." 

PEACE AMONG NATIONS. 

" Oh first of human blessings, and supreme ! 
Fair Peace ! how lovely, how delightful thou ; 
By whose wide tie, the kindred sons of men, 
Like brothers, live in amity combined, 
And unsuspicious faith ; while honest toil 
Gives every joy ; and to those joys a right 
Which idle, barbarous rapine but usurps. 

* * * * 

Oh Peace ! thou source, and soul of social life I 

Beneath whose calm inspiring influence, 

Science his views enlarges, art refines, 

And swelling commerce opens all the ports — 

Blest be the man that gives us thee ! 

"Who bids the trumpet hush its horrid clang, 

Nor blow the giddy nations into rage ; 

Who sheathes the murd'rous blade ; the deadly gun 

Into the well-piled armory returns, 

And every vigor from the work of death, 

To grateful industry converting, makes 

The country flourish, and the city smiles t 

* * * * 

Far as the breeze can bear the gifts of peace ; 
Till all the happy nations catch the song." 



26 



THE BO OK OF 




The Truth of the Lord endureth forever. Ps. cxvii, 2. There is nothing 
kid which shall not be manifested. Mark iv, 22. 

TIME BRINGS UP TRUTH. 

Time brings up Truth at last, though buried long, 
Though Slander, Envy, Strife, her foes, are strong. 
In her dark prison bound she may have lain, 
The light of day shall o'er her shine again. 
Despond not drooping heart in darkness bound, 
Whom cruel slander long had power to wound ; 
"What though it seem the hour would ne'er be past, 
Time the avenger sets it right at last. 
Wait thou for Time! oh stricken, slandered one, 
Though treachery wound and Mends thy pathway shun. 

Time is here represented as bringing Truth out 
of a dungeon or cavern, in which she had long 
been confined. Slander, Envy and Strife, the 
principal enemies of Truth, (who had shut her up 



SIMILITUDES. 27 

in a dark prison,) shrink back on her approach, 
as Time is all-powerful to bring forth his daughter 
Truth into the light of day. The following are 
two stanzas from an ancient publication, under- 
neath a cut from which the foregoing engraving 
was suggested: 

Three Furies fell, which ttirne the world to ruthe, 
Both Envy, Strife and Slander here appeare, 

In dungeon dark they long inclosed Truth, 

But Time at length did loose his daughter deare, 

And sets aloft the lady bright 

Who things long hid reveals and brings to light. 

Though Strife make fire, though Envy eat her heart, 
The innocent though Slander rente and spoile, 

Yet Time will come and take the Ladie's part, 
And break her bands, and bring her foes to foile. 

Despaire not then, though Truth be hidden ofte, 
Because at length she shall be set alofte. 

Envy, who is in close alliance with her sisters 
Malice and Slander, is of hateful origin and aspect. 
She furnishes poison and other ingredients and im- 
plements with which to destroy the reputation and 
life of those about her. She will if possible disfig- 
ure truth, or so shut her up in some cavern ' or 
dungeon that she cannot appear. Slander with 
her foul paint brush will endeavor to cover Tru*h 
in such disagreable colors, as to render her an ob- 
ject of aversion to all beholders. By disfiguring 
or suppressing Truth, Strife with her fiery torch is 
aroused, and when she stalks abroad " there is con- 
fusion and every evil work," yet let no one de* 
spair, for 

" Truth crushed to earth shall rise again." 

Time the conquerer is coming forward, he will 



28 THE BOOK OF 

break every barrier and remove every obstruction, 
and bring his daughter forth to the light of day, 
and her enemies will shrink back abashed from her 
presence. Truth is 

" The good man's boast, and Fraud's eternal foe, 
The best of gifts Heaven can on man bestow : 
Where she is found bright virtue still resides, 
And equal justice every action guides ; 
In the pure heart and spotless mind she reigns, 
And with mild power her happy sway maintains. 
The attribute of God himself confest, 
That stamps his image on the human breast." 

" The first creature of God, in the works of the 
days, was the light of the sense ; the last was the 
light of reason ; and his Sabbath work ever since, 
is the illumination of his spirit. First he breathed 
light upon the face of matter or chaos ; then he 
breathed light into the face of man, and still he 
breatheth and inspireth light into the face of his 
chosen. Lucretius, who beautified the sect that 
was otherwise inferior to the rest, saith yet excel- 
lently well, — ' It is a pleasure to stand upon the 
shore and see ships tossed upon the sea ; a pleas- 
ure to stand in the window of a castle and see a 
battle, and the advantages thereof below ; but no 
pleasure is comparable to the standing upon the 
vantage ground of Truth, (a hill not to be com- 
manded, and where the air is always clear and 
serene) and to see the errors and wanderings, and 
mists and tempests in the vale below :' so always 
this prospect be with pity, and not with swelling 
and pride. Certainly it is Heaven upon earth to 



SIMILITUDES. 29 

have a man's mind move in charity, rest in provi- 
dence, and turn upon the poles of truth." 

"When Christianity was first introduced among 
men, it received violent opposition from almost 
every class of men. Its divine founder was ar- 
raigned before a human tribunal as a disturber of 
the public peace, and was condemned and executed 
as a malefactor. The apostles and evangelists of 
his holy religion were treated as impostors, and 
were considered as the filth and off-scouring of the 
world, and most of them suffered a bloody death. 
But truth, like oil upon troubled waters, came 
uppermost at last. Paganism retired abashed and 
confounded ; Christianity prevailed and was estab- 
lished throughout the Roman Empire, extending at 
last to the throne of the Caesars. 

Truth on almost every subject, when first pro- 
posed or set forth, has generally met with decided 
opposition, and various attempts have been made 
to suppress or cover it up from observation. Gal- 
ileo, the Italian philosopher, so celebrated for his 
astronomical discoveries, was born at Pisa in Italy 
in 1564. Having constructed a telescope, he made 
such discoveries in the science of astronomy, that 
it convinced him of the truth of the Copernican 
system. At that period a belief of this system 
was considered as heretical, and as contrary to the 
word of God. Formal complaint having been 
made to the Inquisition, he was summoned before 
that body at Rome in 1615. He was accused of 
maintaining that the earth moved around the sun, 



30 THEBOOKOP 

which he contended remained stationary. The In- 
quisition decreed that Galileo should renounce 
these doctrines, and neither teach nor publish them, 
and if he refused acquiescence, he should be im- 
prisoned. They also issued a decree declaring 
these new opinions contrary to the Bible, and pro- 
hibited the sale of every book in which they 
should be taught. 

In 1632, Galileo, in an indirect manner caused 
his great work on astronomical subjects to be pub- 
lished at Florence. He was, in the 70th year of his 
age, again summoned before the Inquisition, who 
ordered that he should be imprisoned for three 
years, and recite once in the week the seven pene- 
tential psalms, and that he should, in the most sol- 
emn manner, abjure the Copernican system, and 
bind himself by oath never to maintain or support 
it either in his conversation or writings. 

We have a remarkable instance of Time bring- 
ing up Truth from confinement, in the history of 
Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England, 
who perhaps was more slandered than any other 
person who exercised sovereign power. For a 
long period he was denounced as an usurper and 
tyrant, a fanatic and hypocrite. Even at the col- 
lege where he was educated, there is a record 
which states that "He icas a great impostor, a 
most abandoned villain, who having by horrid 
murder cutoff King Charles I, of blessed memory ', 
usurped the throne itself, and under the name of 
Protector, for nearly five years plagued the three 



SIMILITUDES. 31 

kingdoms with outrageous tyranny." He died in 
1658, and after the restoration of monarchy, his 
body was taken up and hung upon the gallows. 
After a lapse of two centuries of slander, the truth 
is beginning to appear. Distinguished and able 
writers are now beginning to vindicate the fame of 
perhaps the most invincible general, the most con- 
summate statesman, the wisest, the most religious 
and virtuous ruler ever placed at the head of his 
countrymen. 

Many distinguished men whose memory is now 
revered, were during their lives charged with 
crimes of which they were never guilty. Men 
who have boldly stood forth for the cause of God 
and humanity, have been charged with evil mo- 
tives ; they have been a target at which vile men 
have shot their arrows, and they have been assailed 
by those whose tongues are as sharp swords. 



Wait patiently then ye who are suffering from 
slander, envy and strife. Time will yet vindicate 
his daughter Truth ; she will be brought from the 
cavern or dungeon in which she has been so long 
confined, lovely in simplicity and majestic in power ! 



32 



THE BOOK OF 




Great peace have they that love thy laic. Pe. cxix. 165. And the work of 
righteousness shall be peace ; and the effect of righteousnes$, quietness and 
assurance forever. Isa. xxxii. 17. 



THE MEMORY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

Back to the past, the good man turns his eyes, 
And Memory's pictures to his vision rise. 
The bright-eyed boy, who lifts his heart in prayer, 
Asking, in youth, a heavenly Father's care. 
Then to the house of God he turns his way, 
Shunning the path where thousands go astray. 
Then learning still of older lips the truth, 
Himself perhaps the guide of tender youth ; 



SIMILITUDES. 33 

Then later still with willing hand and heart, 

The gift of heaven to others he imparts, 

Clothing the needy orphan in distress, 

Blessing the widow and the fatherless. 

Oh 1 'mid such scenes as these, the past grows bright, 

Pictures of memory clothed in living light. 

The engraving is a representation of a true 
Christian, or righteous man, reviewing some of the 
prominent transactions of his past life. These ap- 
pear in a vision-like form in the back ground of the 
picture. The first scene in order represents him 
in the morning of life, in the attitude of prayer, 
being one of the first things taught him by a sainted 
mother, who perhaps has long since departed from 
these earthly scenes. He is next seen going to the 
house of God, in company with others, to engage 
in the public worship of God, and to receive public 
instruction. The scene next in order, receiving in- 
struction from those older than himself; or if he be 
a parent, he gives instruction to his children, point- 
ing upwards, he directs them to remember their 
Creator in the days of their youth. Later in life 
he is seen relieving the fatherless and the widow, 
the hungry and naked; he is also seen relieving 
the sufferings of the sick and distressed. 

Memory is that faculty of the mind by which we 
can recall past scenes or events, and the particular 
part which we took in them, and according to the 
spirit which we manifested many years ago we fee 1 ! 
present pleasure or pain. Conscience is a faculty 
or power, implanted by God in the soul of man, for 
perceiving what is right or wrong in his heart or 



34 THEBOOKOF 

life, in his temper, thoughts, words and actions. 
This faculty is given even to the heathen, who 
have never had (outwardly) the law, but are a law 
unto themselves : who show the work of the law 
written in their heart, (by the finger of God,) their 
conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts 
the meanwhile accusing, or excusing one another. 

The memory of St. Paul, as far as it regarded 
himself, after his conversion to Christianity, was a 
" memory of righteousness.'''' This gave him peace, 
joy and present satisfaction, though in the midst of 
severe trials and afflictions. The Apostle, near the 
close of his eventful life, declares that he had 
" fought a good fight," and that he had " kept the 
faith." All of which we are bound to believe was 
strictly true ; and whatever his fellow laborers 
might have done, or whatever blame might have 
been attached to them, the Apostle of the Gentiles 
appears, after his connversion, to have performed 
every thing that was required of him as a Christian. 

He who, like Timothy, has been brought up from 
childhood to know and obey the Scriptures, has 
many things to reflect on with pleasure. By the 
power of memory, he sees how his infant mind was 
first opened to receive heavenly instruction from 
pious parents, or some other kind relatives. How 
he obeyed the command of God to seek him early, 
and how he experienced the divine promise of being 
found of him. He reflects with pleasure, how early 
he was taught to love so good a Being, and how 
•many childish sins and follies he was preserved 



SIMILITUDES. 35 

from, by keeping his commandments. All these, 
and many more mercies experienced in childhood, 
called up by memory, gives him present happiness. 

They who have, according to their ability, given 
good advice to those younger than themselves, and 
have endeavored to lead them into the paths of 
virtue, will, in after life, when memory recalls these 
efforts, have much satisfaction. Possibly they may 
see that by their efforts a human being has been 
saved from ruin. Many, perhaps, by their kind 
words and actions have been sustained and en- 
couraged in times of trial and difficulty. As they 
have advanced to riper years, they have brought 
up their own children in the nurture and admoni 
tion of the Lord. If they have been faithful in 
these and similar duties, the memory of it will be 
blessed. 

In an especial manner, he who has administered 
to wants of the poor and needy, the widow and 
fatherless, will, when memory recalls his acts, enjoy 
an elevated pleasure ; he has the divine promise, 
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain 
mercy." 

The righteous man visits the sick and dis- 
tressed, and endeavors to relieve suffering wher- 
ever found — he does not stop to inquire of what 
nation, or religious creed, is the sufferer. He 
does not even ask what crimes he has commit- 
ted before he will relieve him. But like his heavenly 
Father, who sends his rain on the just and unjust, 
he endeavors to do good unto all men. blessed 



36 THE BOOK OF 

work, to be the instruments of preserving human 
life, and bringing comfort and peace into the habi- 
tations of the wretched ! 

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, 
and before him shall be gathered all nations, then 
will he say to the righteous, on his right hand, 
" Come, ye blessed of my Father," for when I was 
hungry, ye gave me meat; thirsty, ye gave me 
drink ; a stranger, ye took me in ; naked, ye clothed 
me ; sick, ye visited me ; in prison, and ye came 
unto me. Our Divine Master here acknowledges 
that whatever is done by the righteous unto the 
meanest of his followers, he will regard it as done 
unto himself. 

The earnest Christian has that true peace, and 
calm satisfaction of spirit, which arises from the 
testimony of his conscience, that in simplicity 
and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but 
by the grace of God, he had his conversation in 
the world. He rejoices that God has given him 
the " mind that was in Christ" — simplicity, a single 
eye to him in the motions of his heart : to aim to 
be conformed to Christ in all things. His con- 
science bears witness, when memory recalls the past, 
that he has, in some good degree, " walked worthy 
of the vocation wherewith he is called," that he 
has abstained from all appearance of evil, and as far 
as he had the opportunity he has done good unto all 
men. 

The memory of righteousness brings joy to the 
soul even when in affliction. Whatever trials we 



SIMILITUDES. 37 

may experience, the loss of health, the death, or 
estrangement of friends, the slanders of others, the 
triumph of enemies, and even greater trials, yet if 
we have the testimony of a good conscience, we 
can "rejoice that our names are written in 
heaven." 

Many of the righteous have never experienced 
any joy to be compared with that which then filled 
their soul, when the body was well nigh worn out 
with pain, or pining sickness. And never surely 
did human beings rejoice like those who were used 
" as the filth and offscouring of the world," who 
wandered to and fro, being in want of all things ; 
in hunger, in cold, in nakedness ; who had trials, 
not only of " cruel mockings," but " moreover of 
bonds and imprisonments ;" yea, who, at last, 
" counted not their lives dear unto themselves, so 
that they might finish their course with joy." 

To those who live somewhat out of the noise and 
bustle of the world, the joys and pains of memory 
act with peculiar force upon the mind. If a per- 
son acted upon a no higher principle than self-in- 
terest, it would be wisdom in him to live in such a 
manner as not to be harrassed by the memory of 
the past. A modern poet thus describes the " Plea- 
sures of memory :" 

" From thee, sweet Hope, her airy coloring draws ; 
And fancy's flights are subject to thy laws, 
From thee that bosom spring of rapture flows, 
Which only virtue, tranquil virtue, knows. 
****** 



38 THE BOOK OP 

A little world of clear and cloudless day, 
Nor wrecked by storms, nor mouldered by decay ; 
A world, with memory's ceaseless sunshine blest. 
The home of happiness, an honest breast. 

****** 
Hail Memory, hail ! in thy exhaustless mine, 
From age to age unnumbered treasures shine! 
Thought, and her shadowy brood, thy call obey, 
And place and time are subject to thy sway! 
Thy pleasures most we feel when most alone ; 
The only pleasures we can call her own. 
Lighter than air, Hope's summer visions die, 
If but a fleeting cloud obscure the sky. 
If but a beam of sober reason play, 
So Fancy's fairy frost-work melts away! 
But can the wiles of art, the grasp of power, 
Snatch the rich relics of a well spent hour ? 
These, when the trembling spirit wings her flight, 
Pour round her path a stream of living light ; 
And gild those pure and perfect realms of rest, 
Where virtue triumphs, and her sons are blest !" 



Quick as their thoughts their joys come on, 

But fly not half so swift away ; 
Their souls are ever bright as noon, 

And calm as summer evenings be. 
The day glides swiftly o'er their heads, 

Made up of innocence and love ; 
And soft and silent as the shades, 

Their mighty minutes move. 



SIMILITUDES. 



39 




There is no peace sailk my God to the wicked. Isa. lvii, 21. Tribulation 
and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil. Rom. ii, 9. 

THE MEMORY OF WICKEDNESS. 

Dark is the scene which meets the troubled gaze 
Of the old man who squanders life's best days. 
He sees the pictures of the hours misspent, 
"With disobedience, sin and folly blent. 
A mother's warning voice, unheard in youth ; 
Trampled beneath his feet God's word of truth. 
God's house neglected, then in angry fight, 
Squanders his days and riotous his nights ; 
Then later still, the suffering and the poor 
Turned with revilings from the rich man's door. 



40 THE BOOK OF 

Pictures like these must meet the sinner's eyes, 
Naught left to stain the scene with darker dyes. 
Memories like these must make his old age drear; 
Eo hope beyond his guilty soul to cheer. 

The engraving annexed represents a wicked or 
unrighteous man, who unwillingly has the remem- 
brance of his crimes brought before his mind. He 
is evidently ill at ease, which shows itself by his 
troubled countenance. .Some of his wayward and 
unrighteous acts appear vision-like in the back- 
ground. The first scene in order represents him 
turning his back on the instructions of his mother, 
or some one who is endeavoring to guide him into 
the right way. Rather than learn his duty, he 
casts the lessons of wisdom aside, and as it were 
tramples them under his feet, and commences a 
truant life. The next scene represents him engaged 
in quarreling with one of his companions, as the 
wicked heart is full of hatred and strife. He is 
next represented as driving the poor and needy 
from his presence, although he is abundantly able 
to supply their wants. He is also seen using vio- 
lence and cruelty towards his fellow man, and per- 
haps in addition to other crimes and misdemeanors, 
has betrayed female innocence by his false promi- 
ses, regardless of the misery which ensues. 

Man was originally formed in the image of his 
Maker, that Being whose nature is love ; and though 
now in a fallen and depraved state, yet some traces 
of his original constitution still remain. By the 
Divine Constitution misery follows the commission 



i 



SIMILITUDES. 41 

of sin and transgression. However depraved man 
may become, or to what extent he may cast off the 
fear of God, yet if he commits wrongs against his 
fellow men, so he feels, to a greater or less extent, 
miserable and unhappy. He has violated the great 
law of love. He may disbelieve in the existence 
of any God to take notice of the affairs of men, 
either to reward or punish human action, yet he 
cannot escape misery. He may attempt to fly, to 
drown his thoughts in various ways, but all in vain, 
for memory, in spite of all his exertions to prevent 
it, will present his crimes in dark array before him. 

Even among heathens, who never had a written 
Tevelation, we find the same law in existence as 
among enlightened nations. Everywhere, among 
all nations and tribes of men, high and low, the 
learned, and the ignorant, bond and free, approve 
of acts of beneficence and love, but detest those 
of oppression and wrong. Many accounts have 
reached us in history, where the wrong doer has 
Buffered misery and anguish on account of his trans- 
gressions. Although amenable to no human tribu- 
nal, yet conscience, reminded by the memory of 
past wickedness, has lashed them for their crimes. 

The celebrated Col. Gardiner, when a young 
man, led what is called by many a " life of pleas- 
ure." He appears to have cast off fear and re- 
straint, and indulged himself in all the fashionable 
vices and follies of the day in which he lived. 
Such was his appearance of cheerfulness and buoy- 
ancy of spirit while continuing the courses, that he 



42 THE BOOK 01" 

received the appellation of "the Happy Rake," 
After his remarkable conversion to the Christian 
faith, he stated to his friends, that often when those 
about him were ready to envy him for his apparent 
happiness, he was in a most wretched and unhappy 
state of mind. Such was the memory of his im- 
moralities, he says, that on one particular occasion 
when in the full tide of his career, a dog coming 
into the room where he was, he actually wished 
and inwardly exclaimed " I wish that I was that 
dog." 

" One of the most sensible men I ever knew, 
(says one) but whose life as well as creed had been 
rather eccentric, returned me the following answer 
not many months before his death, when I asked 
him whether his former irregularities were not ac- 
companied at the time and succeeded afterwards 
by some sense of mental pain ? * Yes,' said he, 
but I have scarce owned it until now. "We (mean- 
ing we infidels and men of fashionable morals,) do 
not tell you all that passes in our hearts." 

Such has been the power of the memory of 
wickedness committed, that it has rendered life in- 
supportable, and many have laid violent hands on 
themselves and rushed unbidden into the presence 
of their Maker. Others, when human testimony 
has failed to convict them of the murders they 
have committed, have themselves voluntarily 
confessed their crime and suffered its penalty. 
During the last century, a jeweler of considerable 
wealth, while traveling at some distance from his 



SIMILITUDES. 43 

abode, was murdered by bis servant, wbo after 
rifling bis master of bis money and jewels, con- 
cealed his body in a stream of water. He tben de- 
parted to a distant part of tbe country wbere be 
bad reason to believe that neither himself or mas- 
ter were known. There be began to trade in a 
small way at first, to escape observation, and in tbe 
course of many years seemed to rise up by tbe na- 
tural progress of business to wealth and consider- 
ation. He finally became the chief magistrate and 
judge in the town wbere he lived. While acting 
as judge, a prisoner was brought before him, 
charged with the murder of his master. The evi- 
dence was such that the jury gave the verdict that 
the prisoner was guilty, and the whole assembly 
awaited tbe sentence of the judge. To their aston- 
ishment they saw him come down from the bench, 
and place himself by tbe side of prisoner, thus ad- 
dressing his fellow judges : " You see before you 
a striking instance of the awards of Heaven, which 
this day, after thirty yeras' concealment, presents 
to you a greater criminal than the man just now 
found guilty." He then made an ample confession 
of his crime, with all its aggravations. " Nor can 
I," continued he, " feel any relief from the agonies 
of an awakened conscience, but by requiring that 
justice be forthwith done against me in the most 
public and solemn manner." Tbe amazed judges 
accordingly proceeded upon his confession to pass 
sentence upon him, and he died with all the symp- 
toms of a penitent mind. 



44 THE BOOK OP 

The memory of wickedness will often force itself 
upon the mind in an unexpected manner. In one 
of our original states, a man of pious parentage, 
being an adept in political movements, rose to sev- 
eral offices of distinction and importance. During 
the former part of his career he was of licentious 
habits. Though of sceptical or infidel opinions, 
yet the remembrance of the wrongs he had com- 
mitted, the female innocence he had destroyed, 
caused him many pangs of remorse. Some com- 
mon occurrence would bring to his memory his 
former transgressions. On one occasion it is re- 
lated of him that when journeying on horseback, 
he dismounted, and rolled on the earth in keen an- 
guish of mind. 

Of all the distresses of mind that human beings 
can feel, perhaps none are equal to those of a guil- 
ty conscience, or the remembrance of past crimes. 
It embitters every comfort, it dashes ever pleasure 
with sorrow, it fills the mind with despair, and 
produces wretchedness in the greatest degree. 
" To live under such disquietude," says a celebrated 
writer, " is already to undergo one of the most se- 
vere punishments that human nature can suffer." 
Dr. Young, who attended the last moments of Al- 
tamont, a licentious young nobleman of infidel 
principles, gives a harrowing description of the 
scene. Addressing himself to one of his infidel 
companions, he said : 

" How madly thou hast listened and believed ! 
but look on my present state as a full answer to thee 



SIMILITUDES. 45 

an dmyself. This body is all weakness and pain ; 
but my soul, as if strung up by torment to greater 
strength and spirit, is full powerful to reason, full 
mighty to suffer. And that which thus triumphs 
within the jaws of immortality, is doubless im- 
mortal. And as for a Deity, nothing less than an 
Almighty could inflict what I feel. * * * Re- 
morse for the past throws my thought on the 
future. Worse dread of the future strikes it back 
on the past ; I turn and turn and find no ray. 
Didst thou feel half the mountain that is on me, 
thou wouldst struggle with the martyr for his 
stake, and bless Heaven for its flames ! that is not 
an everlasting flame ; that is not an unquenchable 
£ re j * * * * My principles have poisoned 
my friend ; my extravagance has beggared my 
boy, and my unkindness has murdered my wife ! 
And is there another Hell ? Oh thou blasphemed 
yet indulgent Lord God ! Hell itself is a refuge, 
if it hide me from thy frown ! 



46 



THE BOOK OF 




The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty. Ps. 
lxxiv, SO. They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image 
made like corruptible man, , . birds, . . four-footed beasts and creeping 
things. Rom. i, 23. 

HEATHENISM. 

Behold the sacrifice of human blood, 

Spilt as an offering to some heathen god. 

The creeping things that move on distant shores, 

The varied forms that ignorance adores. 

The mother standing where the Ganges flows, 

Amid the waves her helpless infant throws ; 

See Egypt's golden calf; the Persian fire 

The ancients worshiped on their sacred pyre ; 

While worshipers before their various idols fall, 

They worship what they know not, blind in all. 

The engraving shows heathenism in a variety 
of forms. One of the most prominent is a priest 
sacrificing a human victim to appease or gain the 
favor of some imaginary deity, who delights in 



SIMILITUDES. 47 

the shedding of human blood. In front are seen 
the crocodile, the ibex, and some creeping things, 
all of which have been worshiped as deities by 
nations of antiquity. In the background the Hin- 
doo mother is seen casting her infant into the river, 
the sacred Ganges ; the golden calf of Egypt and 
the Persian fire, both objects of worship, also ap- 
pear. In one section the gods of ancient Greece 
and Rome are represented, before which worship- 
ers are prostrated. 

In remote antiquity we find that heathen nations 
lived in fear of some great malignant spirit, o in- 
spirits, who ruled over the countries where 
they dwelt. In order to obtain the favor of these 
infernal deities, they often sacrificed what they 
esteemed the most valuable, and on great occasions 
human victims were offered. On one occasion, we 
are informed that Xerxes, the Persian, buried alive 
nine young men and nine young women, belonging 
to the country he was traversing, in order to ob- 
tain the favor of the gods. In this he followed the 
example of his wife, for she commanded fourteen 
Persian children of illustrious birth, to be offered 
in that manner to the deity who reigns beneath 
the earth. 

When JEneas was to perform the last kind office 
for his friend Pallas, he sacrificed (besides numerous 
oxen, sheep, and swine,) eight captives to the in- 
fernal gods. In this he followed the example of 
Achilles, who had caused twelve Trojans of high 
birth to bleed by the sacerdotal knife, over the 
ashes of his friend Patroclus. 



48 THE BOOK OF 

"A hundred feet in length, a hundred wide, 
The glowing structure spreads on every side; 
High on the top the manly corse they lay, 
And well fed sheep, and sable oxen slay ; 
***** 

The last of all, and horrible to tell, 
Sad sacrifice ! twelve Trojan captives fell ; 
On these the rage of fire victorious preys, 
Involves, and joins them in one common blaze. 
Smeared with bloody rites he stands on high, 
And calls the spirit with a cheerful cry, 
All hail Patroclus 1 let thy vengeful ghost, 
Hear, and exult on Pluto's dreary coast. 

Pope's Homer 11. 

The practice of shedding human blood before 
the altars of their gods was not peculiar to the 
Trojans and the Greeks. The Romans followed 
their example. In the first ages of their rapublic 
they sacrificed children to the goddess Mania. la 
later periods numerous gladiators bled at the tombs 
of the patricians or nobles, to appease the manes 
or ghosts of the deceased. And it is particularly 
noticed, that after the taking of Perusia, there 
were sacrificed on the ides of March, three hundred 
senators and knights to the divinity of Julius 
Caesar. 

The Carthagenians having been defeated by 
Agathocles, tyrant of Sicily, and attributing their 
disgrace to the anger of their god, they offered 
two hundred children, taken from the most distin- 
guished families in Carthage. The mode of sacri- 
ficing these children was horrid in the extreme ; 
for they were cast into the arms of a brazen statue, 
and from thence dropped into a furnace. It was 
probably in this manner the Ammonites offered up 



SIMILITUDES. 49 

their children to Moloch. The Pelasgi at one 
time sacrificed a tenth part of all their children in 
obedience to an oracle. 

The Egyptians in Heliopolis, it is stated, sacri- 
ficed three men every day to Juno. The Spartans 
and Arcadians scourged to death young women ; 
the latter to appease the wrath of Bacchus ; the 
former to gratify Diana. The Gauls, equally cruel 
in their worship, sacrificed men to their ancient 
deities, and at a later period to Jupiter, Mercury, 
Mars, Minerva, &c. Caesar informs us that when- 
ever they thought themselves in danger, whether 
from sickness, or any considerable defeat in war, 
being persuaded that unless life be given for life, 
the anger of the gods can never be appeased, they 
constructed wicker images of enormos bulk, which 
they filled with men, who were first sufibcated 
with smoke, and then consumed with fire. 

In Sweden the altars of Woden smoked inces- 
santly with blood; this flowed most abundantly 
at their solemn festivals every ninth year at ITpsal. 
Then the king, attended by the senate and his 
courtiers, entered the temple, which glittered with 
gold, and conducted to the altar nine slaves, or in 
time of war nine captives. These met the carress- 
es of the multitude, as being about to avert from 
them the displeasure of their gods, and then sub- 
mitted to their fate ; but in times of distress more 
noble victims bled, and it stands upon record (says 
Dr. Clarke,) that when Aune, their king, was ill, 
he offered up to Woden his nine sons to prolong 
his life. 5 



50 THE BOOK OF 

The Danes had the same heathenish and abom- 
inable customs. Hacon, King of Norway, offered 
his own son, to obtain from Woden the victory- 
over Harold, with whom he was at war. In Rus- 
sia the Sclavi worshiped many gods. Peroun^ 
their thunderer, was supreme, and before his im- 
age many of their prisoners bled. Suetovid, the 
god of war, was their favorite, and they annually 
presented as a burnt offering three hundred pris- 
oners, each on his horse, and when the whole was 
consumed by fire, the priests and people sat down 
to eat and drank until they were drunk. The an- 
cient Peruvians, on this western continent, sacri- 
ficed their children to the sun. In more modern 
times, thousands have voluntarily perished in In- 
dia, under the wheels of their god Juggernaut. 

The ancient Egyptians, though considerably ad- 
vanced in civilization, debased themselves by their 
heathenish system of religion. Their principal 
gods were Osiris and Jsis, which are supposed to 
be the sun and moon. Besides this they wor- 
shiped the ox, the dog, the cat, the crocodile, the 
ibis or stork, and even creeping things. The bull 
Apis had a splendid temple erected to him ; great 
honors were paid to him when living, and still 
greater after his death. A golden calf was set up 
by the Israelites near Mount Sinai, and wor- 
shiped. 

One of the most prominent forms of heathenism 
in modern times, is the worship of the idol Jug- 
gernaut in India. This huge misshapen image is 



SIMILITUDES. 51 

kept in a temple, of which the principal part rises 
to an elevation of two hundred feet. Numerous 
festivals are held in honor of the idol, the most 
important of which are the bathing and car festi- 
vals. For a long period, pilgrims have assembled 
in vast numbers, from various parts of India, to 
attend the ceremonies. Great sufferings are ex- 
perienced in consequence of excessive fatigue, 
among those who come from a distance. Many 
die from exposure and want of food. The plains 
in many places are whitened with the bones of the 
pilgrims, while dogs and vultures are continually 
devouring the dead. 

At one of the annual festivals, Juggernaut and 
two other images, said to be his brother and sister, 
are brought out, and set upon huge cars. Six 
cables are attached to the car of Juggernaut, three 
hundred feet in length, by means of which the= 
people draw it from place to place. Devotees, for 
the purpose of gaining in a future life, health, 
riches, and honor, cast themselves under the wheels 
of the car to be crushed to death. 

" Here rolls the hated car, 
Grinding the crashing hones, and hearts and brains 
Of men and women. Down they fling themselves- 
In the deep gush, and wait the heavy wheel; 
Slow rolling on its thunder bellowing axle, 
Sunk in the wounded earth. The sigh, the breath, 
The blood, and life, and soul, with spurting rush, 
Beneath the horrid load forsake the heap 
Of pounded flesh, and the big roar continues 
As though no soul had passed the bounds of time. 

* * * * the mad, living throng, 
Trampling by thousands o'er the dead and dying,. 
And shouting, howling, pulling, hear no groan,. 
Nor feel the throes of beings beneath them." 



52 THE BOOK OF 

Upwards of a week is sometimes spent in drag- 
ging the car about two miles. Every time it 
stops, one of the priests steps forward on the plat- 
form, and rehearses the deeds and extols the char- 
acter of the idol in a manner the most obscene. 
Should the speaker quote from the Shasters, (their 
sacred books,) or invent an expression more than 
usually lascivious, the multitude give a shout or 
sensual yell. The abominations practised on these 
occasions both in language and manner, cannot be 
named among a Christian people. 

From time immemorial Hindoo mothers have 
thrown their infant children into the Ganges to be 
devoured by alligators, to propitiate some offended 
deity. Formerly thousands of widows were burnt 
on the funeral pile of their deceased husbands. 
She thus escapes the disgrace of being a widow, 
and becomes, as she believes, entitled to a resi- 
dence with her husband and relatives in heaven. 
Such is the religion of the most populous of heath- 
en countries, in modern times. Woman is debased 
and made a slave wherever it prevails. It teaches 
its votaries to defile themselves with the mud of 
the streets ; to measure the distance from their 
houses to their temples by the length of their bod- 
ies, prostrated every six feet of the way ; to swing 
in the air, suspended by hooks thrust through the 
muscles of the back, and to submit to a thousand 
other tortures, in honor of some cruel but imagi- 
nary deity. 

At the time of the Christian era, most of the world 



SIMILITUDES. 53 

was sunk in heathenism and idolatory ; the charac- 
ter of the mass being in accordance with the de- 
scription given by the Apostle Paul, in the first 
chapter of Romans. Moshiem, one of the most 
reliable of religious historians, speaking of the na- 
tions in the Roman empire, states, " all these were 
plunged in the grossest superstitions. * * Some 
nations indeed went beyond others in impiety, and 
absurdity of worship, but all stood chargeable with 
irrationality and gross stupidity in matters of re- 
ligion. Each nation had a class of deities peculiar 
to itself, among which one was supposed to be su- 
perior to all others, and was their king, or father. 
This supreme divinity, it was taught, was himself 
subject to the laws of fate, or to an eternal destiny. 

The supreme divinity of the Greeks and Romans 
was Jupiter ; Mars, the god of war ; Apollo pre- 
sided over music, poetry, &c. ; Mercury was the 
messenger of the gods ; Bacchus, the god of wine, 
and presided over drunkards ; Juno, the queen of 
the gods, was both the sister and wife of Jupiter ; 
Minerva was the goddess of wisdom ; Venus was 
the goddess of the graces, the author of elegance, 
beauty, &c, and was in reality the patroness of all 
licentiousness. Besides these, there were many 
other inferior deities of lesser note, and the most 
of them were represented as possessing the baser 
passions of mankind. 

The greater part of the gods of all nations were 
ancient heroes, famous for their achievements and 
worthy deeds, such as kings, generals, founders of 



54 THE BOOK OF 

cities, and likewise females who were distinguished 
for their deeds, whom a grateful posterity had dei- 
fied. To these, some added the more splendid 
and useful objects in the natural world, among 
which the sun, moon and stars -were pre-eminent, 
received worship among nearly all ; and some were 
not ashamed to pay divine honors to mountains, 
rivers, trees, the earth, the ocean, the winds, and 
even to diseases, to virtues and vices, and almost 
every conceivable object. 

The worship of these deities consisted of numer- 
ous ceremonies, with sacrifices, offerings and pray- 
ers. The ceremonies, for the most part, were ab- 
surd and ridiculous ; and throughout, debasing, 
cruel and obscene. Most nations sacrificed animals, 
and many of them human victims. Their prayers 
were truly insipid, and void of piety, both in their 
form and manner. Over this whole worship pre- 
sided pontiffs, priests and servants of the gods, di- 
vided into many classes, and whose busiuess it was 
to see that the rites were duly performed. These 
were supposed to enjoy the friendship and familiar 
converse of the gods ; and they basely abused their 
authority to impose on the people. 

Besides this common worship, to which all had 
free access, the Greeks, and others, had concealed 
rites, called mysteries, to which very few were ad- 
mitted. Candidates for initiation had first to give 
satisfactory proof of their good faith and patience. 
When initiated, they could not divulge anything 
they had seen without exposing their lives to great 



SIMILITUDES. 55 

danger. These mysteries were little known, but it 
is well authenticated that many things were done 
contrary to decency, and in all of them the discern- 
ing might see that the deities there worshiped were 
more distinguished for their vices than their virtues. 
The whole pagan system had not the least effi- 
cacy to produce and cherish virtuous emotions in 
the soul. In the first place, the gods and goddesses 
who were worshiped were more distinguished for 
their vices than their virtues. Though considered 
as superior to mortals in power, and as exempt 
from death, yet in all things else they were on a 
level with their votaries. In the next place, most 
of their ministers, or priests, neither by precept or 
example, exhorted the people to lead virtuous lives, 
but the homage required by the gods consisted in 
the observance of rites and ceremonies. And lastly, 
the doctrines inculcated respecting rewards and 
punishments in the future world were dubious and 
uncertain, and others more adapted to promote 
vice than virtue. A universal corruption of morals 
prevailed, and crimes, which at this day cannot be 
named with decency, were then practiced with en 
tire impunity. . 



56 



THE BOOK OF 



^»lfcoO>s_tov £ 




By whom also we have access by faith, . . . justified by faith. Rom 
v. 2, 1. For we are saved byhope. Rom. viii. 24. Love is the fulfilling of 
the law. Rom. xiii. 10. 

FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE. 

Faith, Hope and Love, the heavenly three unite, 
To form a glorious circle, firm and bright; 
Faith lifts the sacred cross, which cannot fail, 
And Hope her anchor casts within the vail ; 
While heaven-born Love descended from the skies, 
Stands linked with these, by closest, purest ties : 
Hail, sacred circle ! beauteous sisters three, 
Bright emblems of the glorious Trinity, 
Shed evermore your smiles on fallen man, 
And teach to earth salvation's wondrous plan. 

The circle is emblematic of Deity, without be- 
ginning or end. Love being a strong feature, or 
perhaps essence, of Divine nature, its emblem is 
placed within the circle. Christian Faith and Hope 
are connected with Love by the strong cords of 



SIMILITUDES. 51 

affection. Faith elevates the symbol of Christianity, 
while Hope casts her anchor within the vail. 

Christian Faith, though not the greatest, stands 
the first in order among the christian graces. By 
it we take the first step heavenward. Without it, 
it is impossible to please God, for he that cometh 
to him, must believe that he is, and that he is a re- 
warder of them that diligently seek him. 

The man who professes that it is his duty to serve 
and worship God, must, if he acts rationally, do it 
on the conviction — First, that there is such a Being, 
infinite, eternal, and self-existent — the Cause of all 
other being — on whom all other beings depend, and 
by whose energy, bounty and providence, all other 
beings exist, live, and are supplied with the means 
of continued existence and life. He must also be- 
lieve that he rewards all those that diligently seek 
him ; and that he is not indifferent about his own 
worship ; that he requires adoration and religious 
service from man ; and that he blesses and especially 
protects and saves those who, in simplicity and up- 
rightness of heart, seek and serve him. This re- 
quires faith, such as is mentioned above. 

Faith in Christ, or Christian and saving Faith, 
is that principle wrought in the heart by the Divine 
Spirit, whereby we are persuaded that Christ is the 
Messiah ; and possess such a desire and expectation 
of the blessings he has promised in his gospel, as 
engages the mind to fix its dependence on him, and 
subject itself to him in all the ways of holy obedi- 
ence and relying solely for everlasting fife. 



58 THE BOOK OF 

As to the properties, or adjuncts, of Faith, it may- 
be observed that it stands the first in order, and 
takes the precedence of other graces. " He that 
believeth shall be saved" — Mark xvi. 6. It is every 
way precious and valuable. " Precious faith " — 2 
Peter 1. It appropriates and realizes, or as the 
Apostle says, in Heb. xi. 1, "is the substance of 
things hoped for, and the evidence of things not 
seen." The evidences of faith are, love to Christ, 
confidence, prayer, attention to his ordinances, zeal 
in promoting his glory, and holiness of heart and 
life. 

Hope is represented with an anchor, whereby 
is aptly represented her steadiness and trust. In 
religious pictures, she is often drawn with her eyes 
turned up towards heaven, in token of her con- 
fidence in that help which comes only from above. 
Scarce any passion seem to be more natural to man 
than hope ; and, considering the many troubles he 
is encompassed with, none is more necessary ; for 
life, void of all hope, would be a heavy and spirit- 
less thing, very little desirable, perhaps hardly to 
be borne. Whereas hope infuses strength into the 
mind, and by so doing lessens the burthens of life. 
If in trouble, we hope it will be removed, this helps 
us to support it with patience. 

It is said, in an old heathen fable, that when Pro- 
metheus stole fire from heaven, with which he ani- 
mated mortal bodies, he gave Pandora a box which 
was close shut ; but her curiosity, (which the god 
foresaw,) prompting her to open it, out flew a variety 



SIMILITUDES. 59 

of plagues and evils, which immediately dispersed 
themselves over the world. Confounded and as- 
tonished, Pandora at length shut the fatal box 
again : when, all the rest of its contents being fled, 
hope alone remained at the bottom ; which proved 
the only consolation to mankind for the plagues 
Jove had sent among them. 

The Christian's hope is an expectation of all nec- 
essary good both in time and eternity, founded on 
the promises, relations, and pel^Ctions of God, and 
on the offices, righteousness of Christ. It is com- 
posed of desire, expectation, patience and joy. It 
may be considered as pure, as it is resident in that 
heart which is cleansed from sin : as good (in dis- 
tinction from the hope of the hypocrite,) as deri- 
ving his origin from God, and centering in him. 
It is called lively (1. Pet. i. 3.) as it proceeds from 
spiritual life, and renders one active and lively in 
good works. It is courageous (Rom. v. 5, 1 Thess. 
v. 8.) because it excites fortitude in all the troubles 
of life, and yields support in the hour of death. 
Prov. xiv. 32. — sure, (Heb. vi. 19,) because it will 
not disappoint us, and is fixed on a sure foundation 
— -joyful, (Rom. v. 2.) as it produces the greatest 
felicity in the anticipation of complete deliverence 
from all evil. 

" The hope of eternal life, is represented as the 
souls' anchor ; the world is the boisterous, dangerous 
sea ; the Christian course, the voyage, the port, 
everlasting felicity ; and the vail, the inner road, 
the royal dock in which that anchor was cast. The 



60 THE BOOK OP 

storms of life continue but a short time ; the an- 
chor hope, if fixed by faith in the eternal world, 
will infallibly prevent all shipwreck ; the soul may 
be strongly tossed by various temptations, but will 
not drive, because the anchor is in sure ground, 
and itself is a stedfast, it does not drag, and it does 
not break ; faith like the cable is the connecting 
medium between the ship and the anchor, or the 
soul and its hope of heaven ; faith sees the heaven, 
hope desires and anticipates the rest ; faith works 
and holds fast ; and shortly, the soul enters into the 
haven of eternal repose." 

Love consists in approbation of, and inclination 
towards an object that appears to us as good. 
Love to God is a divine principle implanted in the 
mind by the Holy Spirit, whereby we reverence, 
esteem, desire, and delight in Him as the supreme 
good ; viewed as an attribute of Deity, it may be 
considered as the essence of the Divine nature, for 
it is declared by divine inspiration that " God is 
Love." It has been well observed, that though 
God is holy, just, righteous &c, he is never called 
holiness, justice, &c, in the abstract, as he is here 
called love. 

He that loves God, will love his neighbor also. 
Brotherly Love is an affection to our neighbors and 
especially to the saints, prompting us to every act 
of kindness towards them. It must flow from love 
to God, and extend to all mankind : yea, we are 
required by the highest authority to love even our 
enemies. Love is the fulfilling of the law, and 



SIMILITUDES. 61 

makes mankind to resemble the inhabitants of 
heaven. 

The Charity or Love which God recommends, 
(says an able commentator,) the Apostle describes 
in the following sixteen particulars : 

(1.) Charity suffereth long. The love of God 
and our neighbor for God's sake is patience towards 
all men : it suffers all the weakness, ignorance, er- 
rors and infirmities of the children of God, and all 
the malice and wickedness of the children of this 
world, and all this, not merely for a time, but long 
without end ; for it is still a mind and disposition, 
to the end of which, trials, difficulties, &c, can 
never reach. . It waits God's time for the removal 
of afflictions and bears them without murmuring. 

(2.) It is kind, it is tender and compassionate in 
itself, and kind and obliging to others. It is mild, 
gentle, and benign. 

(3.) Charity envieth ?iot, is not grieved because 
another possess a greater portion of earthly, intel- 
lectual or spiritual blessings. 

(4.) Charity vaunteth not itself, or does not set 
itself forward in order to be noticed or applauded, 
and is not disturbed because unnoticed or un- 
known. 

(5.) Is not puffed up, or inflated with a sense of 
its own importance. Every man whose heart is 
filled with the love of God is filled with humanity, 
he feels like a little child, knowing that if there is 
anything good about him, it conies from God. 

(6.) Doth not behave itself unseemly, or accord- 



62 THE BOOK OP 

ing to commentators, never acts out of place or 
character, never is unmannerly or brutish, but as 
far as possible, is willing to please all men for their 
good and edification. 

(7.) Seeketh not her own, that is, according to 
the original expression, is not desirous of her own 
spiritual welfare only, but of her neighbors also. 
That man is no Christian who passes through life 
not caring how the world goes, so that himself is 
comfortable. 

(8.) Is not easily provoked, or is not irritated, 
made sour, or embittered. 

(9.) T/dnkefh not evil, does surmise evil where 
no evil appears, gives every man credit for his pro- 
fession of religion, uprightness, &c, while nothing 
is seen in his conduct or spirit inconsistent with this 
profession. 

(10.) Rejoiceth not in iniquity, does not take any 
delight in fraud, violence, wherever or whoever 
against it may be practiced, does not rejoice in the 
suffering of enemies. 

(11.) But rejoices in the truth, or everything that is 
opposite to falsehood and irreligion. 

(12.) Beareth all things, or as rendered by some 
translators, covereth all things. A person under the 
influence of this love, covers, as far as he consist- 
ently can, the follies, faults and imperfections of 
others, not making them the subject of censure or 
conversation. 

(13.) Believeth all things, ever ready to believe 
the best of every person and gladly receives what- 



SIMILITUDES. 63 

ever mar tend to the advantage of those whose 
character may have suffered by detraction. 

(14.) Hopeth all things, when there is left no 
place of relieving good of a person, then love 
comes in with its hope and begins to make allow- 
ances and excuses, as far as a good conscience can 
permit, and hopes that the transgressor may reform 
and be restored to the good opinion of society. 

(15.) Endureih all things, bears adversities with 
an "even mind, submits with resignation to the dis- 
pensation of the providence of God, and endures 
trials, affliction and insults. 

(16.) Charity never failelh. Love being of God 
will ever remain, while all human acquirements 
being necessary in the eternal world, will pass 
away. 

Love is properly the image of God in the soul. 
By faith we receive from our Maker ; by hope a 
futnre and eternal good ; but by love we resemble 
God, and by it alone are we qualified to enjoy 
heaven. Faith is the foundation of Christian life > 
Hope rears the structure, but Love finishes, com- 
pletes and crowns it in a blessed eternity. 



64 



THE BOOK OF 




From the tops of the Rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him 
Num. 23, 9. trove all things ; holdfast that which \s good, 1. Thess. 5. 
2L Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for. Heb. xi. I. 

IMAGINATION, PHILOSOPHY AND FAITH. 

Imagination borne on radiant wings, 
"With voice and form angelic sweetly sings, 
Her rosy pinions glow with beauty bright 
Her smiling glances, fill the soul with light, 
The canvas glows, as if by magic wand, 
Beneath the touches of her beauteous hand, 
New scenes of joy, before the vision rise, 
And glowing splendors fill the opening skies. 
Divine Philosophy with studious art 
And softer transports fill the earnest heart, 
By reason's light, its warm excitement calms. 
Steadies the soul, and unbelief disarms, 
While smiling Faith, the fairest of the three, 
Lends to the scene, a bright reality, 
She bears aloft the cross, and to the skies, 
Bids the believer lift his teaiful eyes. 



SIMILITUDES. 65 

In our pilgrimage through these mortal scenes, 
the Almighty has not left us to travel alone un- 
cheered by heavenly visitants or companions. 
There are three daughters of Heaven who walk 
the earth and minister to us, day and night. They 
are Imagination, Philosophy and Faith. 

First comes Imagination with rapid wing, radi- 
ant and angelic form, beaming eyes, with voice 
sweet and heavenly. On glowing canvas she 
shows to the weary traveler a bright picture of 
heavenly mansions of rest, a halo of glory sur- 
rounds it, showing the presence of Him who dwel" 
leth in light, who is above all, and who dwelleth 
among his people. 

O blest Imagination, how many hearts hast thou 
cheered while in this vale of tears ! Daughter of 
Heaven, thou, when storms and tempests rage 
around, canst teach us not to look at the things 
which are seen, but to those unseen, eternal in the 
heavens. Scenes yet unknown to mortal eyes, are 
depicted before us ; we move amid the bowers of 
Paradise, we hear angelic voices, we meet in fond 
embrace those we love, but who long ago have de- 
parted these mortal shores. We meet and con- 
verse with the good of every age, we join the Gen- 
eral Assembly of the ransomed ones on high, and 
above all, we have the Captain of our salvation with 
us, who leads us through the green pastures and 
beside the still waters. 

See the traveler on the scorched deserts of Sah- 
ara, he is parched with thirst, and seeks in vain for 



66 THE BOOK OP 

the cooling draught. He digs perhaps into the 
earth, he sees it may be the distant mirage promis- 
ing an abundant supply of water, but he is doomed 
to disappointment still, overcome by fatigue and 
despair, he sinks and faints upon the sandy plain. 
He dreams. Imagination comes to his relief, she 
bears him to his native village, he is beside its run- 
ning fountains and sparkling streams, he drinks of 
its living waters and bathes his limbs in its floods. 
For a time at least, though short, he forgets the 
burning desert, and his joy is full. 

Perhaps the traveler amid wintry storms of ice 
and snow, and the chill and sleep of death is creep- 
ing on him, the storm thickens around, Imagina- 
tion like a friend points out the danger of yielding 
to the chilling blast and shows him a mangled corse 
torn by ravening wolves who roam around these 
icy regions. Or in kinder mood, she depicts the 
cheerful blaze at his own happy fireside, he is 
aroused, he struggles on and finally is safe. 

Though pressed by poverty to a hovel, or garret, 
to a threadbare garment and a scanty meal, yet, 
Imagination can lift one above his surroundings and 
conduct him upward with exultant joy. Chains 
and dungeons can but give force to its spirit. Bun- 
yon, that " Prince of dreamers " through Heavenly 
Imagination has spoken living truth to past ages, 
to the present, and will yet speak to ages yet to 
come. When the eyelids are closed, when the 
Father of us all " gives his beloved sleep," how 
often does he transport them to scenes more beau- 



SIMILITUDES. 67 

tiful than earth can show ? angels and seraphs are 
our companions, we hear with other than mortal 
ears, heavenly anthems of praise. 

Man being a compound being, cannot live, or be 
guided by Imagination alone. If his fond dreams 
find no corresponding reality in life, he will be 
tempted to doubt the reality of the scenes presen- 
ted by Imagination. He begins to ask what is 
Truth ? Is there a God, and what is his nature ? 
Is he a good being, and does he care for, and does 
he take delight in the happiness of his creatures ? 
He wishes some demonstration of the truth of what 
has been presented by Imagination. 

Divine Philosophy now comes to his aid. She 
teaches that there must be a first cause for all that 
we behold about us, and that first cause must have 
been unmade. In the language of the poet : 

Retire — the world shut out — thy thoughts call home, 
Imagination's airy wing repress, 
Then, in thy soul's deep silence, thus inquire 
"What am 1 1 and from whence 1 I nothing know, 

But that I am Had there e'er been nought 

Nought still had been. Eternal there must be. 
* * * * 

Whence earth and these bright orbs ? eternal too ? 
Grant matter was eternal ; still these orbs 
Would want some other father, much design 
Is seen in all their motions, all their makes, 
Design implies intelligence and art, 

That can't be from themselves 

If art to form, and council to conduct 
And with greater far than human skill 
Besides not in each block — a Godhead reigns — 
And if a God there is — that God how great ! 

That God is good and kind, appears in his crea. 
tion. He opens his hand and satisfies the desires 



68 THE BOOK OF 

of his creatures, granting them food and raiment 
necessary and convenient. God has created man 
with a desire after immortality. Why this univer- 
sal belief among the wisest and best of all nations 
in a future life ? Does the Allwise intend to de- 
ceive the creatures whom he hath made ? Reason 
and true Philosophy give an emphatic isro ! 

Mark how the good man feels when he obeys the 
law of love towards his fellow men. He feels that 
God approves, and all is well, his consciecne bear" 
ing witness : his happiness increases. He feels that 
God is Love and that he will be forever blest, if he 
obeys the voice within. Mark him who does his 
neighbor wrong : peace departs, his soul is tormen- 
ted, he fears and shuns the presence of his Maker. 
Although he may profess to disbelieve in the exis- 
tence of a God, yet he cannot escape the lashings 
of his conscience within. Does not God teach by 
the Spirit that he has placed within the soul that 
he will reward the righteous and punish the wick* 
ed ? Does he intend to deceive mankind by man- 
ifestations thus given ? 

Man has a " soul of vast desires " that can range 
o'er the creation of God in a moment of time ; it 
can take into contemplation other worlds and be- 
ings. Would the Almighty create a being with 
such desires and aspirations, elevate him above 
many orders of beings, and then sink him into noth- 
ing ? Nature recoils at the thought, and Philoso- 
phy answers no ! In the language of Mr. Addison, 
which may be considered as a kind of paraphrase 



SIMILITUDES. 69 

on the words of the Apostle (2. cor. 5.) it is thus 
forcibly stated : 

Whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire, 

This longing after immortality ? 

Or whence this secret dread and inward horror, 

Of falling into naught ? Why shrinks the soul 

Back on herself, and startles at destruction 1 

'Tis the Divinity that stirs within us: 

"lis Heaven itself that points out an hereafter, 

And intimates eternity to man 

The soul secured in her existence, smiles 
At the drawn dagger, and defies its point. 
The stars shall fade away, the sun himself 
Grow dim with age, and nature sink in years; 
But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth, 
Unhurt amidst the war of elements, 
The wreck of matter and the crush of worlds. 

The traveler being convinced by the truth of true 
Philosophy, accepts the guidance of Christian 
Faith. She is represented as holding a cross, the em- 
blem of Christianity, and points upward to a man- 
sion on high. Under the guidance of this daugh- 
ter of Heaven, the Pilgrim can overcome all difficul- 
ties. She supports him in poverty and affliction, 
in humiliation and disappointment. By her power 
he can calmly look upon these things which may 
thicken around him, and he can even look death 
in the face. He recognizes the realities of eternal 
scenes, compared with which, the concerns of this 
world dwindle into minor importance. 

Faith, the Apostle declares, is the substance of 
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, 
or in other words the passage may imply such a 
conviction as provided in the mind, by the demon- 
stration of a problem : after which demonstration 



70 THE BOOK OF 

no doubt can remain. The things hoped for, are 
the peace and approbation of God, and those bles- 
sings by which he is sustained in his pathway, and 
by which he is prepared for the Kingdom of Heav- 
en. In an extended sense the things hoped for, 
are the resurrection of the body, the new heavens 
and the new earth, the introduction of believers 
into the heavenly country, and the possessions of 
eternal glory. The things unseen are, in an extend- 
ed sense, the creation of the world out of nothing, 
the resurrection of Christ from the dead, his as- 
cension and his mediation at the right hand of God, 
all of which we firmly believe on the testimony of 
God's word. 

Faith comforts the soul with the assurance of an- 
other and better life. Happy is he who with a firm 
and truthful voice says, " I believe in the resurrec- 
tion of the body, and the life everlasting." It an- 
imates the soul. Eternal Life ! A life with God I 
with the General Assembly of just men, the Church 
of the first born, pure and holy. Here are no dis- 
appointments, but joy present and complete, future 
and eternal ! 



SIMILITUDES. 



11 




Be not high minded but fear. Rom. x, 20. The Lord taheth pleasure in 
them that fear him, and in them that hope in his mercy. Ps. 147. 11. 

FEAR AND HOPE. 

Behold the gentle sisters hand in hand 

Are traveling on, to seek a heavenly land. 

Fear, pale and trembling on each side descries, 

Some hidden foe, or fears some new surprise, 

She fears the serpent, 'neath the rose concealed, 

And sees the reptile in his lair revealed, 

"With cautious step she moves 'mid anxious cares, 

And ever for defence, a shield she bears. 

Hope, with her anchor, treads with footstep light, 

Looks to the skies, where all seen s fair and bright, 

Sees not the dangers, that her path beset, 

And all her hidden foes, would fain forget. 

But Fear, with caution guards and shields her way, 

Thus hand in hand, their prudence they display, 

So Hope and Fear, the Christian's path attend, 

Together, cheer, and shelter, and befriend. 

Fear and hope are here personified by two fe- 
male figures holding each other by the hand, both 
of which are traveling to the celestial city, through 



Y2 THE BOOK OF 

this present evil world. Fear is alive to the dan- 
gers which beset our pathway. She discovers tho 
poisonous serpent concealed, it may be behind the 
rose-bud, she hears the growl of the wild beast, for 
Satan himself is represented as a roaring lion going 
about seeking whom he may devour. "Fore- 
warned forearmed." Fear therefore walks for- 
ward with caution, armed with a shield for defense. 
Hope, on the other hand, having the anchor by her 
side, is continually looking upward, and perhaps 
does not always pay sufficient attention to the 
dangers which may lurk around, but by having 
Fear for a companion, she is shielded and protected 
from her enemies. Indeed these two ought not to 
separated while the heavenly pathway is being 
traversed. 

" Hopes and Fears " says one " are the great 
springs of human actions, and though seemingly 
standing in opposition to one another, they jointly 
contribute to the accomplishment of the same ends. 
Hope that is altogether fearless, acts with rash- 
ness or sinks into torpor ; but accompanied with 
Fear, it is vigilant as well as diligent. On the 
other hand, fear unaccompanied with hope is de- 
spair ; and despair furnishes no stimulation to en- 
terprise. It is by the due balancing of these two 
grand principles, Hope and Fear, that the human 
species are governed, and stimulated to actions ten- 
ding to the preservation of the individuals and to 
the general weal. Our holy religion itself, addres- 
ses alike our hopes and fears." 



SIMILITUDES* 73 

It is declared by Divine inspiration that " the 
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." 
This fear of God according to religious writers, is 
that holy disposition or gracious habits formed in 
the soul by the Holy Spirit, whereby we are in- 
clined to obey all God's commands; and evidences 
itself by a dread of his displeasure — a desire of his 
favor — regard for his excellencies — submission to 
his will — sincerity in his worship, and conscientious 
obedience to his commands. He that possesses the 
fear of God can be confided in by men, men can 
deceive each other, and it may be, have little regard 
for what their fellows can do for, or against them 
but they know that from the Almighty nothing can 
be concealed, and that he will have to give a strict 
account of all they say or do. 

Hope is one of the greatest blessings ever gran- 
ted to man, even as far as the present world is con- 
cerned. It is said in the old heathen fable, that 
when Prometheus stole fire from heaven with which 
he animated mortal bodies, Jupiter, the supreme, 
divinity, in anger to mankind gave Pandora a box 
which was close shut, but her curiosity (which the 
god foresaw) prompting her to open it, out flew a 
variety of plagues and evils which immediately dis- 
persed themselves over the world. Confounded 
and astonished Pandora shut the fatal box again, 
when all the rest of the contents being fled, Hope 
alone remained at the bottom ; which proved the 
only consolation that Jupiter osr Jove had sent 
among them. 

7 



74 THE BOOK OF 

Hope is the first great blessing here below, 

The only balm to heal corroding wo ; 

It is the staff of age ; the sick man's health ; 

The prisoner's freedom, and the poor man's wealth ; 

The sailor's safety, tossing as one breath 

It still hold on, nor quits us e'en in death. 

Alas ! without hope, of what value would our 
mortal existence prove? How should we be ena- 
bled to bear up under difficulties ; what cordial 
should we have to oppose to the thousand heart- 
corroding cares which this frail life abounds with ? 
It is then we avail ourselves of this anchor, and of 
the three Christian graces we are most relieved by 
Hope, which leads on through faith, to the promise 
of happier days here, or a better state hereafter. 

To be without hope is the most dreadful of all 
earthly punishments ; it is the refuge of the poor 
and needy, and renders the distribution of our lots 
below, more equal, since the high and low, the rich 
and poor, cannot, with justice, be deemed so wide- 
ly different in their estates, when we consider that 
These are placed in hope and those in fear. 

" Hope is, in short, our best companion here ; 
it leads us as it were by the hand through all diffi- 
culties and dangers : and it may justly be said of 
it, as has been observed of love, that 

The cordial drop heaven in our life has thrown 
To make the nauseous draught of life go down." 

" There is " says Dr. Johnson, " no temper so 
generally indulged as hope ; other passions operate 
by starts on particular occasions or in certain parts 
of life ; but hope begins with the first power of 



SIMILITUDES. 75 

comparing over actual with our possible state, and 
attends us through every state and period, always 
urging us onward to new acquisitions, and holding 
out some distant blessings to our view, promising 
us either relief from pain, or increase of happi- 
ness.'' 

Hope is necessary in every condition. The mis- 
eries of poverty, of sickness, captivity, would, 
without this comfort be insupportable, nor does it 
appear that the happiest lot of terrestial existence 
can set us above the want of this general blessing, 
or that life, when the gifts of nature and of fortune 
are accumulated upon it, would not still be wretch- 
ed, were it not elevated and delighted by the ex- 
pectation of some new possession, of some enjoy- 
ment yet behind, by which the wish shall be at 
last satisfied, and the heart filled up to its utmost 
extent. 



10 



THE BOOK OF 




Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer. Is. lviii, 9. And while 
they are yet speaking I will hear. Is. lxv, 24. 

THE SPIRITUAL TELEGRAPH. 

Thought o'er the wire, speeds on with lightning wings, 

And lo ! an instantaneous answer brings ; 

But far outgoing telegraphic speed, 

One far above the sinner's prayer will heed. 

From worlds beyond the farthest, faintest star, 

The message comes from Heaven's high realms afar. 

So thoughts upon the wire of prayer ascend, 

And earth and Heaven together quickly blend. 

The ascending steps Faith, Hope, and Love, 

"Where we gain access to the Power above ; 

The promises of God are props which bear 

Aloft the telegraphic wires of prayer. 



SIMILITUDES. 77 

The power of communicating thought or words 
to distant regions in a moment of time, is one of 
the greatest discoveries of modern times. The 
nature of the agent by which this is accomplished 
is wonderful and mysterious. In a certain sense, 
time and distance are almost annihilated. In a 
moment of time we can send our words, our 
thoughts, and desires over wide countries, through 
mighty seas to those we wish to see, and hold 
sweet converse with those we love. 

This method of communication is, in some re- 
spects, a striking similitude of that by which man 
can make his wants known to his Father above, 
and hold close converse with his Maker. For 
the welfare and convenience of his creatures, the 
Great Proprietor of all things has established sta- 
tions, or places where they can send their petitions 
and desires, and where they can receive gracious 
answers. These Stations are the sanctuaries, or 
the places where God's people usually meet, where 
he usually answers their requests, and holds com- 
munion with them. In order to get into commu- 
nication with the Deity, the applicant or operator 
must ascend the steps of Faith and Hope to that 
of Prayer. Here he can send his communications 
by the telegraph wire of prayer, over hills and 
mountains, up vast heights, even to regions be- 
yond the clouds — to the Great God, who is above 
all, with the expectation of receiving a speedy 
answer. 

The telegraph wire is supported throughout its 



V8 THE BOOK OF 

course by props. These represent the promises of 
God ; firm, and remaining forever unshaken : in this 
respect unlike those which we often see in other 
lines of communication. These are frequently 
blown down by the violence of tempests, thus 
breaking the line of communication ; the props of 
the Spiritual Telegraph line, however, remain for- 
ever the same, though tempests sweep around and 
lightnings flash, though thunders roll, they neither 
bend or break, but stand upright while ceaseless 
ages roll ! 

Though we may be in the depths of affliction, 
the wires of the Spiritual Telegraph are still with- 
in our reach, our Heavenly Father understands 
every touch we make, and oftentimes when we 
are yet speaking, he will answer our petitions. 
Though we may be in the depths of poverty, and 
know not where to obtain our daily bread, — though 
our clothes may be in tatters, so as to render us 
unfit to appear in public, yet we have the privilege 
of using the telegraphic wires without money and 
without price. 

On the telegraph lines, certain persons have 
privileges which are not granted to others ; such 
as those who hold official stations, &c> who have 
the privilege of sending communications over the 
wires before those who act in a more private capa- 
city. This is deemed necessary for the public 
good, as private affairs must give way to those of 
a public character. But those who use the Spir- 
itual Telegraph are under no such restrictions. 



SIMILITUDES. 79 

He " who sits in the circle of the Heavens,'' can 
receive at one and the same moment myriads of 
communications from every part of his vast crea- 
tion, perfectly understanding every thought and 
desire of all beings in all worlds. He can also 
at one and the same moment give as close attention 
to every applicant, as if there were but one among 
all created beings. 

The dutiful son, who is in a distant country, 
often thinks of home, and often sends messages to 
those whom he loves. Thus the Christian, "whose 
conversation is in Heaven,'' will be often sending 
messages thither by the Spiritual Telegraph. He 
has communications with God the Father, Jesus 
Christ the Son, and with the Holy Ghost the Com- 
forter. O blessed art of holding communion with 
the Father of our spirits ! O the height and depth 
of that blessed wisdom that devised the plan, that 
carried it out, and " opened the kingdom of Hea- 
ven to all believers !" Render, then, O Christian, 
thy thankful acknowledgements to the Redeemer, 
Mediator, and Intercessor ! Remember that even 
amid the busy scenes of life, you can often touch 
the telegraph wire, and send your communications 
to your Heavenly Father above, for guidance and 
protection. "When yon lie down at night, remem- 
ber that swifter than an angel's wing is the flight 
of a believer's petition to him who never slumbers 
nor sleeps. 

The telegraphic current of communication is 
sometimes stopped or disturbed by storms, <fcc, in 



80 THE BOOK OF 

the vicinity of the lines. So storms of human 
passion, unholy and opposite currents in the atmo- 
sphere will, on the Spiritual Telegraph, stop the 
communication between God and the soul. It is 
the same as " grieving the Holy Spirit of God," 
which we do when we sin because of his immedi- 
ate presence with us. When we set up idols of 
earthly inclinations in our hearts, (which are prop- 
erly his altar,) and bow down to serve those vicious 
passions, which we ought to sacrifice to his will ; 
this must needs be in the highest degree offensive 
and grievous to him. " For what concord is there 
between the Holy Spirit and Belial ? or what 
agreement hath the temple of God with idols ?" 

There is a particular frame and temper of soul, a 
sobriety of mind, without which we can have no 
communication with our Father in Heaven. It is 
in our power, by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, 
to keep our hearts in a state of preparation to re- 
ceive divine communications. We must preserve 
our minds in a cool and serious disposition, in re- 
gulating and calming our affections, and calling in 
and checking the inordinate pursuits of our pas- 
sions after the vanities and pleasures of this world. 
Carelessness and inattention to the teachings of the 
spirit will bring darkness into Our minds, and stop 
our intercourse with God. There are many per- 
sons who in the main of their lives are regular in 
their conversation, and observe with some exact- 
ness the outward acts of religion, yet in the inter- 
vals of their duties, give equal liberty to their 



SIMILITUDES. 81 

thoughts, affections and discourse: they seem to 
adjourn the great business of salvation to the next 
hour of devotion. By and by a fatal lethargy 
overtakes them ; they lose in a great measure the 
desire of keeping a constant communication with 
spiritual objects, and become almost insensible of 
divine convictions, and unless aroused, they will 
be forever cut off from communion with holy 
beings. 



" Prayer ardent opens heaven, lets down a stream 
Of glory on the consecrated hour 
Of man, in audience with Deity." 

Dr. Young. 



" To the hills I lift mine eyes, 
The everlasting hills : 
Streaming thence in fresh supplies, 

My soul the spirit feels; 
"Will he not his help afford 1 

Help, while yet I ask, is given; 
God comes down ; the God and Lord 
Who made both earth and heaven." 

C. Wesley. 



82 



THE BOOK OF 




As an Eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth 
abroad her wings. Deut. xxsii, 11. No chastening for the present seemeth 
to be joyous but grievous. Heb. xii, 11. 

THE PARENT EAGLE. 

The parent eagle bids her young to fly, 
And far aloft their fluttering pinions try ; 
"With seeming cruel haste she stirs their nest, 
"Which may no longer be a place of rest, 
Then flutters o'er them, spreads her wings to fly, 
And seeks to bear the little ones on high. 
They learn to trust their feeble wings at length, 
And soar aloft with all their parent's strength. 
So oft in life, the fate that seems so hard, 
Brings in the end exertion's rich reward. 

It is related as a fact in the natural history of 
the eagle, that when the proper time has arrived 
for the young eaglets to leave their nests, the pa- 
rent eagle so stirs it up that they cannot stay in it 
longer, and they are obliged to find some other 



SIMILITUDES. 83 

place as a resting place or shelter. They now 
make then* first attempt to use their wings : in this 
they are assisted by the parent bird, who flutters 
over and about them ; spreads out her wings, so 
that when the efforts of her young fail, she bears 
them on her own wings to a place of shelter and 
safety. By this means they are taught to fly and 
provide for themselves. 

It would perhaps seem harsh and unreasonable 
to the young eaglets, were they capable of reason- 
ing on the subject, to see their parent tearing to 
pieces the comfortable habitation in which they 
had so long nestled in quiet and safety. They 
might ask, why are we thus broken up and cast 
out upon the world ? all these things are against 
us. The conduct of their parent would, at least, 
be unaccountable : they might even charge her 
with cruelty, and loudly murmur and complain at 
what appears a great misfortune. Could they dis- 
cover the reason why these things are clone, they 
would see that they were acts of beneficence and 
mercy. 

In this trait of the easrle with regard to her 
young, we have an apt similitude of many occur- 
rences which have taken place among communities 
of mankind. The land of Canaan was promised to 
the descendants of Abraham, and by this they 
were entitled to its possession. The descendants, 
however, during a time of famine, emigrated to 
Egypt, where they had many favors and privileges 
allotted them. A generation was born here, and 



84 THE BOOK OF 

their habitation seemed secure. When the time 
had nearly arrived that the Israelites should take 
possession of the Promised Land, the Egyptians 
were stirred up against them, and made their lives 
bitter with bondage, and by a train of providen- 
tial events, they were finally brought into the land 
promised their fathers. 

At the time of the commencement of Christian- 
ity, most of the followers of Christ had collected 
at Jerusalem, where they were greatly prospered. 
They were so happy in the love and fellowship 
with each other, that they seemed inclined to build 
their tabernacles at Jerusalem, and to say, " it is 
good for us to be Ziere" They probably desired 
and expected to continue there during the remain- 
ing part of their lives. But in mercy to the world 
at large, and even to themselves, whose truest hap- 
piness was connected with their usefulness, a great 
persecution arose at the time of the death of Ste- 
phen, and the disciples were "scattered abroad, 
and went everywhere preaching the word." The 
cause of Christianity was wonderfully advanced 
by these means, and Christian churches were estab- 
lished in almost every part of the known world. 

Paul, the learned apostle to the gentiles, being 
better qualified than his brethren to speak before 
kings and emperors, was driven by the force of 
persecution away from his countrymen, to appear 
before the Roman emperor. By this means the 
Gospel was introduced into the palace of the Cae- 
sars. The other apostles had no rest ; persecution 



SIMILITUDES. 85 

was stirred up against them ; they had no resting 
place where they could abide in peace and safety ; 
it was stirred up, and they had to flee from one 
city to another. 

In more modern times, the history of the Puri- 
tans furnishes a remarkable instance of the truth 
of the similitude of the eagle stirring up her nest 
for the benefit of her young. After the bloody 
persecutions of Queen Mary, the Protestant reli- 
gion gained the ascendancy in Great Britain, when 
Queen Elizabeth of England ascended the throne 
in 1558. Great was the joy among all her Protes- 
tant subjects on her accession to the throne. Many 
of her subjects were Puritans, so called for their 
efforts to maintain purity of worship, untrammeled 
by those rites and forms which they contended 
were contrary to the spirit of true religion. The 
Puritans, on the accession of Elizabeth, felt sure 
of her protection, and expected the remainder of 
their lives, to repose in peace and tranquility. 

But they soon heard a voice saying, "Arise, this 
is not your rest." Queen Elizabeth, though a Pro- 
testant and in favor of the reformation, was of an 
arbitrary disposition. She took violent measures 
to enforce uniformity in church discipline and ser- 
vice. The Puritans, though holding to the same 
doctrines as the established church, had scruples 
about practising all its rites and ceremonies, and 
therefore refused compliance. 

A storm of persecution now arose ; their rest or 
place of abode was now figuratively stirred up. 

8 



86 THE BOOK OP 

They were subjected to severe penalties; they 
were compelled to collect for worship in private 
places, with great secrecy. Hundreds of Puritan 
ministers were silenced or deprived of their liv- 
ings, and many were imprisoned while their fami- 
lies were starving. These persecutions were con- 
tinued with but little abatement for about fifty 
years. The Puritans made many efforts to obtain 
toleration, but the queen and most of the bishops 
refused to grant them the free exercise of religious 
worship. 

In consequence of these persecutions, many of 
the Puritans left their native country, passed over 
to Holland, and formed distinct and independent 
churches ; but not liking their situation there, most 
of them emigrated to America. The stirring up 
and unpleasantness of the place of their abode, 
caused the emigration of the colony of Plymouth 
in 1620. These colonists in order to obtain " free- 
dom to worship God," were thrown upon their 
own exertions like the young of the eagle : they 
sought another habitation : they went into a sav 
age and howling wilderness, and there deep and 
wide laid the foundations of civil and religious 
liberty. 



SIMILITUDES 



87 




[The man who serves sin with a willing mind, and suf- 
fers Satan to reign over him.] 

THE NATURAL MAN. 

Look on this picture of the natural heart, 
Behold the Holy Spirit's dove depart; 
The guardian angel weeping o'er the soul 
Despising all advice and Heaven's control. 
Deceit within his bosom holds its sway, 
And Pride rejoices in her vain display, 
"While Anger growls: Intemperance is seen, 
And foul Licentiousness with form unclean, 
While Satan rules o'er all with dragon wings, 
And o'er the scene his dark delusion flings. 



88 THE BOOK OF 

The engraving annexed is a representation of 
the natural or carnal man, in a willing companion- 
ship with various lusts and vices in vrhich the 
vricked take delight. The figure at the top is a 
representation of Satan, with dragon wings, the 
fallen Spirit of Light, who rules over fallen men 
and devils. The Holy Spirit is departing from him, 
represented by a dove who is flying away. The 
Guardian Angel, or ministering spirit is weeping 
at his folly in refusing to hear the voice of entreaty 
and wisdom. Deceit is found in his bosom. Pride 
shows her shining feathers ; Anger growls, and 
Licentiousness and Intemperance show their un- 
clean forms by his side. 

It is thought by many divines from the tenor of 
several passages in the Bible that pride or self-con- 
ceit was the cause of the Devil's downfall from 
Heaven. Pride, in all its numerous forms, in every 
age and country, has ever been foimd congenial to 
the fallen nature of man. The peacock, which ap- 
pears to take so much pride in spreading out and 
displaying his beautiful feathers, is generally held 
up as an emblem of those who take pride on ac- 
count of their riches, honors, beautiful form or 
features, of their gifts and talents, or of their fine 
dress equipage, &c. And to such an extent has 
this fallen passion prevailed, that even many have 
been proud of their humility. 

There is no passion which steals into the heart 
so imperceptibly, which covers itself under more 
disguises, or which mankind in general are more 



SIMILITUDES. 89 

subject to than this. It is originally founded on 
self-love, that inherent passion of human nature. 
The few advantages we possess, want only to be 
properly considered to convince us how little they 
are to be boasted of, or gloried in. The whole of 
our bodily perfections may be summed up in two 
words, — strength and beauty. As for the first, 
man is inferior to many of the brute creation. 
Besides, through a few days or even hours sickness, 
he becomes weak and helpless as a little child. As 
to beauty, which has exhausted human wit in rap- 
tures to its praise, how soon it is destroyed by sick- 
ness or age ; and even in its perfection, how it is 
excelled by the flowers of the field ! Often to its 
possessor it has been a fatal ornament, ruining both 
soul and body ; even cities, armies and kingdoms. 
" Pride," says a good writer, " is the high opin- 
ion that a poor little contracted soul entertains of 
itself, and is manifested by praising ourselves, 
adorning our persons, attempting to appear before 
others in a superior light to what we are ; contempt 
and slander of others ; envy at the excellencies that 
others possess ; anxiety to gain applause ; distress 
and rage when slighted ; impatience of contradic- 
tion and opposition to God himself. The evil ef- 
fects of pride are beyond computation. It has 
spread itself universally among all nations, among 
all characters ; and as it is the first sin, as some 
suppose, that entered into the world, so it seems 
the last to be conquered. It may be considered as 
the parent of discontent, ingratitude, covetous- 



90 THE BOOK OP 

ness, poverty, presumption, passion, extravagance, 
bigotry, war, and persecution. In fact there is 
hardly an evil perpetrated but what pride is con- 
nected with it in a proximate or remote sense." 

Anger andJll-will are represented by a growling 
wild beast, such as lion, tiger, or leopard, at the 
left of the man seen in the picture. It is the fier- 
cest of passions, and under its influence man rages 
like a wild beast of the most savage kind. The 
distinction of father, mother, brother, sister, friend, 
and every tender tie of humanity are lost when it 
rages ; and it tempts men in an instant to commit 
such enormities, that an age of repentance is not 
sufficient to atone for the mischief it has occa- 
sioned. 

Anger is a raging fever of the mind, and is a 
species of madness or insanity ; indeed they are 
so much alike that sometimes it is difficult to dis- 
tinguish the difference between them, and their 
effects are equally fatal. In short, anger is such a 
vice or passion that it makes human beings resem- 
ble demons rather than men. A passionate temper 
renders a man unfit for advice, deprives him in a 
great measure of his reason, robs him of all that 
is great and noble in his nature, destroys friend- 
ship, changes justice into cruelty, and turns order 
into confusion. It is stated that beasts of the 
fiercer kind are enraged when they behold their 
own image in a glass, or by the side of still water. 
The instinct of these creatures impels them at once 
to attack an animal which possesses a shape like 



SIMILITUDES. 91 

themselves. If angry and passionate men could 
have a full and just view of themselves in all their 
deformity, they must hate themselves and make 
war with their own image. 

Deceit is often represented by a serpent, as Satan, 
the grand enemy of God and mankind, assumed 
that form when he deceived our first parents in the 
garden of Eden. In the engraving, the serpent is 
seen in the bosom of the unregenerate man, as his 
heart is represented in scripture as being " deceit- 
ful above all things," that is, in the highest degree 
above all that we can conceive. So deceitful that 
the generality of mankind are continually deceiv- 
ing both themselves and others. How strangely 
do they deceive themselves ; not knowing either 
their own tempers or characters ; imagining them- 
selves to be abundantly wiser and better than they 
are. 

A deviation from truth is equally natural to all 
the children of men. One said in his haste, " all 
men are liars," but we may say upon cool reflec 
tion, all natural men will, upon a close temptation, 
vary from or disguise the truth. If they do not 
offend against veracity, if they do not say what is 
directly false, yet they often offend against simpli- 
city. They use art ; they hang out false colors ; 
they practice deceit or dissimulation. 

Licentiousness is represented by the goat, an 
unclean, impure, and in many respects a disagreea- 
ble animal. Intemperance and Gluttony by the 
hog. Both of these are seen at the right hand of 



92 THE BOOK OF 

the natural man, and both are his chosen compan- 
ions. By these vices the unregenerate man redu- 
ces himself to the level with the most unclean and 
filthy of the animal creation. The libertine, the 
sensualist, the licentious man, is one of the lowest 
characters. To obtain his ends he must be a liar, a 
reprobate, and, in short, a villian, that often breaks 
all the commands of God before he can obtain the 
object he is in pursuit of. He does not rush to de- 
struction alone, but like his great original, drags 
others along with him to perdition. The apostle, 
in speaking of this vice, says it is a sin committed 
against the body. Though sin of every species 
has a tendency to destroy life, yet none are so mor- 
tal as that to which the apostle refers, as it strikes 
directly at the foundation of the constitution. It 
would be easy to show that licentiousness, intem- 
perance, &c., lead directly, even with respect to 
the body, to certain death. 

With regard to the vice of intemperance or 
drunkenness, the latter part of the 23 d chapter of 
Proverbs contains a forcible description of its ef- 
fects. The writer describes him who " tarries long 
at the wine " as one " that lieth down in the midst 
of the sea, or he that lieth on the top of a mast." 
That is : " thou wilt sottishly run thyself into the 
extremest hazards without any apprehension of 
danger ; being no more able to direct thy course 
than a pilot who slumbers when the ship is tossed 
in the midst of the sea ; no more able to take no- 
tice of the perils thou art in, than he who falls 
asleep where he was set to keep watch." 



SIMILITUDES. 93 

The writer of the book of Proverbs goes on in 
his description: "They have stricken me, shalt 
thou say, and I was not sick ; they have beaten 
me, and I felt it not. When shall I awake ? I will 
seek it yet again." There is great beauty and 
energy in the conciseness of the original. What 
is rendered " I was not sick," some commentators 
say should be rendered " I was not sensible of it." 
The next clause should be, " They have mocked 
me, and I knew it not." How striking and in- 
structive a portrait is this of the stupid insensibility 
of a drunkard ! Mr. Prior in his Solomon, has 
well expressed it in the following lines. There 
are, says he, 

yet unnumbered ills that lie unseen 

In the pernicious draught: the word obscene 

Or harsh, (which once elanced must ever fly 

Irrevocable ;) the too prompt reply, 

Seed of severe distrust and fierce debate, 

What we would shun, and what we ought to hate. 

Add too, the blood impoverished, and the course 

Of health suppressed by wine's continued force. 

Unhappy man ! whom sorrow thus and rage, 

To different ills alternately engage ! 

"Who drinks, alas ! but to forget, nor sees 

That melancholy sloth, severe disease, 

Memory confused and interrupted thought, 

Death's harbingers, lie latent in the draught, 

And in the flowers that wreathe the sparkling bowl 

Fell adders hiss and poisonous serpents roll." 



94 



THE BOOK OF 




[The sinner convicted of breaking God's law, is alarm- 
ed : he casts off his sins and endeavors to flee from the 
wrath to come.] 

THE AWAKENED SINNER. 

The sinner wakened to his state of sin, 
With penitence another life would now begin. 
Pride lowers her plumage and would fain depart, 
Deceit and Anger leave the contrite heart, 
Licentiousness and all its kindred train, 
Now o'er his nature may no longer reign ; 
Satan himself must now his sceptre yield, 
And vanquished and reluctant leaves the field, 
While the pure Spirit, bringing heavenly love, 
Broods o'er the penitent, a spotless dove. 



SIMILITUDES. 95 

The sinner, by the light of the Divine Spirit 
sees that he has broken all the commandments of 
God : the angel of justice lifts the sword against 
him: alarmed, he leaves off his connection with 
various sins, and they are departing from him. 
Pride lowers her plumage, Deceit and Anger he no 
longer harbors, Licentiousness, Intemperance, and 
other vices he casts off. While thus exercising re- 
pentance, the sacred influence of the Divine Spirit 
descends upon him, while /Satan the Prince of 
Darkness, finding he can no longer control his 
mind, is departing from the scene. 

By some providential occurrence, or by his word 
applied with the demonstration of his spirit, God 
touches the heart of him who is passing along, se- 
cure in his sins, unconcerned as to what will befall 
him in a future world. Light breaks in upon his 
mind, and the inward, spiritual meaning of the 
divine or moral law of God begins to flash upon 
him. He perceives that " the commandment is ex- 
ceeding broad," and that " nothing is hid from the 
light thereof." He is convinced that every part of 
it relates, not barely to outward sin or obedience, 
but to what passes in the secret recesses of the 
heart, which no eye but God's can penetrate. 

The truly convicted sinner not only hears " Thou 
shalt not kill," according to the letter of the law, 
but also hears God speak in thunder tones, " He 
that hateth his brother is a murderer." If the law 
says " thou shalt not commit adultery," the voice 
of the Lord sounds in his ears, " He that looketh 



96 THE BOOK OF 

upon a woman to lust after her, hath committed 
adultery with her already in his heart." And thus 
at every point he feels the word of God, " quick 
and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword." 
It "pierces even to the dividing asunder of his soul 
and spirit, his joints and marrow." And so much 
the more because he is conscious to himself of hav- 
ing neglected so great salvation ; of having trod- 
den under foot the Son of God, who would have 
saved him from his sins, and counted the blood of 
the covenant an unholy, a common unsanctifying 
thing. 

As the convicted sinner knows " all things are 
naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we 
have to do," so he sees himself naked, stripped of 
the fig-leaves which he had sewed together, of all 
his poor pretences to religion and virtue, and his 
wretched excuses for sinning against God. His 
heart is laid bare, and he sees it is all sin, " deceit- 
ful above all things and desperately wicked ;" he 
feels that he is corrupt and abominable ; he feels 
that he deserves to be cast off from God forever : 
he feels that the wages of sin is death without re- 
demption. 

The delusive rest and false peace of the sinner, 
are ended by the proper discovery of the broken 
law. Pleasures once loved, delight him no more. 
He feels the anguish of a wounded spirit. He finds 
that sin let loose upon the soul, (whether it be 
pride, anger, or evil desire ; whether self-will, 
malice, envy, revenge, or any other,) brings misery. 



SIMILITUDES. 97 

He feels sorrow of heart for blessings he has 
lost, and the curse which has come upon him ; re- 
morse for having thus destroyed himself, and de- 
spised God's mercies; fear, from a lively sense 
of the wrath of God, and the consequences of his 
wrath, of the punishment which he has justly de- 
served, and which he sees hanging over his head ; 
fear of death, as being to him the gate of death 
eternal ; fear of the devil, the executioner of the 
wrath and righteous vengeance of God ; fear of 
men, who if they were able to kill his body, would 
thereby plunge both body and soul into hell ; fear, 
sometimes arising to such a height, that the poor 
guilty soul is terrified with everything, with no- 
thing, with shades, with a leaf shaken by the 
wind. Sometimes it may approach to the brink 
of despair, causing him to cry out like one of old, 
" The spirit of a man may sustain his infirmities, 
but a wounded spirit who can bear ?" 
f The ordinary method of the spirit of God is to 
convict sinners by the law, for by it "is the knowl- 
edge of sin." It is more especially this part of the 
word of God which is quick and powerful, full of 
life and energy, " and sharper than any two-edged 
sword." This in the hand of God, and of those 
whom he has sent, pierces through the folds of a 
deceitful heart, and " divides asunder even the soul 
and the spirit." By this the sinner is discovered 
to himself, and he sees that he is " wretched, and 
poor, and miserable, and blind, and naked. The 
law, which he has broken, flashes conviction on 

9 



98 THE BOOK OF 

every side, — his mouth is stopped, and he stands 
guilty before God. 

The sinner who is properly convicted of his 
transgressions, forsakes, or endeavors to put away 
all his sinful associations and companions. Instead 
of pride there is now humility. He has been in 
the habit of thinking much of himself, of his nat- 
ural or acquired abilities ; his sins, or rather foibles 
as he calls them, he thinks are not of much mo- 
ment, his good deeds far overbalancing them, and 
he may even scorn to ask any favors either of God 
or man. But now in the light of the divine law, 
he sees that he is a wretch, undone, unless God has 
mercy on him, and instead of priding himself on 
account of his good deeds, he loathes and abhors 
himself on account of his sins, in dust and ashes, 
crying out, " God be merciful to me a sinner." 

Formerly deceit nestled in his bosom, deceiving 
himself and those about him, thinking himself to 
be something when he was nothing ; saying "peace, 
peace," when God says there is no peace. This 
serpent error now departs, while the light of the 
Divine Spirit is upon him. Anger, malice, revenge, 
and other hateful passions in which he formerly in- 
dulged, he puts from him, and wishes from his 
heart that God would create a new spirit within ; 
love to his fellow men, and love and forgiveness 
for his enemies. Intemperance, licentiousness, and 
other beastly vices he discards, and shuns the v*?y 
appearance of evil. 



SIMILITUDES 



99 




[The sinner is pardoned hy the Hood of the Cross.- 
Faith, Hope, and Peace are his companions. — The i 
fiuence of the Divine Spirit descends upon him.] 

THE PARDONED SINNER. 

Behold the pardoned sinner with a band 

Of forms angelic, grouped on either hand, 

Faith clasps the cross, and to the brightening skies, 

Waiting the promise, lifts expectant eyes. 

There smiling, radiant Hope her anchor bears, 

And Peace, the olive branch, her emblem, wears, 

While o'er them softly broods the Heavenly Dov'e, 

Emblem of peace, and purity, and love. 

Faith, Hope and Love, best boons to mortals given, 

To brighten earth, and smooth the path to Heaven! 



100 THE BOOK OF 

The sinner, after being weighed down by 
a sense of his sins and transgressions, despairs of 
any help or relief except from Gocl. He hears 
of salvation by Jesus Christ. Faith springs 
up within that God will pardon and deliver him, 
if he will forsake his sins. Looking at the cross 
of Christ his soul is melted in contrition, the bur- 
den of sin is removed, he feels his sins are forgiven, 
the hope of present and eternal salvation springs 
up in his soul. These two Christian graces are re- 
presented in the engraving by two female figures ; 
Faith stands at the right hand of the pardoned 
sinner, embracing the cross, with her eyes lifted 
upward ; Hope, with her anchor, is at his left ; 
JPeace, with her olive branch, follows her heavenly 
companions Faith and Hope. The Dove, an em- 
blem of the Holy Spirit, is seen above. 

Dr. Scott, in commenting on the Pilgrim's Pro- 
gress, where Christian loses his burden when he 
came up with the cross, says : " Divine illumina- 
tion, in many respects tends to quicken the believ- 
er's hopes and fears, and to increase his earnestness 
and diligence ; but nothing can finally relieve him 
from his burden except the clear discovery of the 
nature and glory of redemption. With more gen- 
eral views on the subject, and an implicit reliance 
on the mercy of God through Jesus Christ, the 
humblest sinner enters the way of life. * * * 
When in this divine light, the soul contemplates 
the Redeemer's cross, and discerns more clearly 
his love to lost sinners in dying for them ; the mo- 



SIMILITUDES. 101 

tive and efficacy of his intense sufferings ; the glory 
of the divine perfections harmoniously displayed 
in this surprising expedient for saving the lost ; 
the honor of the divine law and government, and 
the evil and desert of sin most emphatically pro- 
claimed, even in pardoning transgressors, and re- 
conciling enemies; and the perfect freeness and 
efficacy of this salvation ; — then ' his conscience is 
purged from dead works to serve the living God/ 
by a simple reliance on the atoning blood of 
Emmanuel." 

The plain scriptural notion of justification, is 
the pardon and forgiveness of the sinner. God 
the Father, for the sake of the redemption made 
by the blood of his son, he "showeth forth his 
righteousness [or mercy] by the remission of sins 
that are past.'' Paul declares " Blessed are they 
whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are 
covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord 
will not impute sin." To him who is forgiven, God 
will not impute sin to his condemnation. He will 
not condemn him on that account, either in this 
world, or in that which is to come. His sins, all 
his past sins, in thought, word, and deed, are cov- 
ered, are blotted out, shall not be remembered or 
mentioned against him, any more than if they had 
not been. God will not inflict on the sinner what 
he deserved to suffer, because the son of his love* 
hath suffered for him. 

Christian faith, through which the sinner is par- 
doned, is not only an assent to the whole. gospel of 



102 THE BOOK OF 

Christ, but also a full reliance on the blood of 
Christ ; a trust in the merits of his life, death, and 
resurrection, a reliance on him as our atonement, 
and our life as given for us, and living in us. It is 
a confidence which a man hath in God, that through 
the merits of Christ, his sins are forgiven, and he 
reconciled to the favor of God. The best guide 
of the blind, and the surest light of them that are 
in darkness, the most powerful instructor of the 
foolish, is faith. But it must be such a faith as is 
mighty through God to the pulling down of 
strong-holds, " to the overturning all the prejudices 
of corrupt reason, all the false maxims revered 
among men, all evil customs and habits, all that 
wisdom of the world, which is foolishness with 
God ; as casting down imaginations, [reasonings,] 
and every high thing that exalteth itself against 
the knowledge of God, and bringeth into captivity 
every thought to the obedience of Christ." 

Those that have the true faith, have strong con- 
solation through Hope. The Spirit beareth wit- 
ness in their hearts that they are the children of 
God. It is the same Spirit who works in them 
that clear and cheerful confidence that their heart 
is upright towards God ; that good assurance that 
they now do through his grace, the things that are 
acceptable in his sight ; that they are now in the 
path which leadeth to life, and shall, by the mercy 
of God, endure therein to the end. It is he who 
giveth them a lively expectation of receiving all 
good things from God; a joyous prospect of that 



SIMILITUDES. 103 

crown of glory, which is reserved in heaven for 
them. By this anchor, a Christian is kept steady 
in the midst of this troublesome world, and pre- 
served from striking on either of those fatal rocks, 
presumption or despair. 

" Every one," saith St. John, " who hath this 
hope, purifyeth himself, even as he is pure." It is 
his daily care, by the grace of God in Christ, and 
through the blood of the covenant, to purge the 
inmost recesses of his soul from the lusts that be- 
fore possessed and denied it; from un cleanness, 
and envy, and malice, and wrath ; from every pas- 
sion and temper that is after the flesh, that either 
springs from or cherishes his native corruption, as 
well knowing, that he whose very body is the tem- 
ple of God, ought to admit nothing into it com- 
mon or unclean, and that holiness becometh the 
house forever, where the Spirit of holiness designs 
to dwell. 

" The peace of God," which God can only give r 
and the world cannot take away ; the peace which- 
"passeth all understanding," all (barely) rational 
conception ; being a supernatural sensation, a di- 
vine taste of " the powers of the world to come," 
such as the natural world knoweth not, how wise- 
soever in the things of this world, nor indeed can 
he know it in his present state, "because it is 
spiritually discerned." It is a peace that banishes 
doubt, all painful uncertainty ; the Spirit of Godl 
bearing witness with the spirit of a Christian* that 
he is a child of God. And it vanquishes fear, all 



104 THE BOOK OF 

such fear as has torment ; the fear of the wrath of 
God ; the fear of hell ; the fear of the devil ; and 
in particular, the fear of death ; he that hath the 
peace of God, desireth that it were the will of God 
" to depart and be with Christ." 

Whenever the peace of God is fixed in the soul, 
there is also "joy in the Holy Ghost." Joy 
wrought in the heart by the Holy Ghost, by the 
ever blessed Spirit of God. He that worketh in 
us that calm, humble rejoicing in God through 
Jesus Christ, " by whom we now have received the 
atonement, the reconciliatian with God, that ena- 
bles us boldly to confirm the truth of the Psalm- 
ist's declaration, "blessed is the man [or rather 
happy] whose unrighteousness is forgiven, and 
whose sin is covered.'' He it is that inspires the 
Christian soul with that ever solid joy which arises 
from a consideration that he is a child of God, and 
gives him to " rejoice with joy unspeakable, in the 
hope of the glory of God ;" hope both of the 
glorious image of God, which is in part, and shall 
be in full " revealed in him," and of that crown of 
glory that shall not fade away, reserved in heaven 
for him. 



SIMILITUDE S 



105 




[The Christian filled with the influence of the Spirit, 
adds to his faith, virtue, &c. Sins of various Jcinds, per- 
sonified by unclean animals, lie dead at his feet] 

THE SANCTIFIED CHRISTIAN. 

Behold, in life the Christian sanctified, 
Strengthened by faith, by fiery trials tried, 
He dreads no more temptation's fearful night, 
He walks at liberty in God's own light; 
He walks with Faith, who with her heavenly ray 
Sustains his 60ul. and brightens all the way ; 
He walks with knowledge, heavenly wisdom true 
Inspires his courage, brings his foes to view. 



106 THE BOOK OF 

He lives with Godliness, inspiring fear, 
A filial fear of God, and love sincere, 
Brotherly kindness unto all he shows, 
And charity, forgiving all his foes. 

The sanctified christian walks at liberty in the 
keeping of God's commandments, the influence of 
the Divine spirit is shed abroad upon him, and he 
adds to his faith, virtue ; and to virtue, knowledge ; 
and to knowledge, temperance ; and to temper- 
ance, patience ; and to patience, Godliness ; and to 
Godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly 
kindness, charity." Having the love of Christ 
within, the true christian overcomes the evil pas- 
sions by which he is beset ; indeed they lie dead 

at his feet. 

The Sanctified Christian has that Faith which 

bas led him to embrace the whole Gospel of Jesus 
Christ, and has that virtue or courage and fortitude 
which enables him to profess Christ before men, 
even in times of fiery persecution, and at the haz- 
ard of life itself. He has Jcnoioledge, that true wis- 
dom by which his faith is increased and his courage 
■directed, preserving it from degenerating into 
Tashness. The knowledge or wisdom he receives 
immediately from above in answer to prayer, for if 
he lacks wisdom, God has promised to give it to 
him. The Christian is temperate in all things, and 
makes a proper and limited use of all earthly en- 
joyments, keeping every sense under proper re- 
straint, and never suffering the animal part to sub- 
jugate the rational ; he bears all trials and difficul- 



SIMILITUDES. 107 

ties with an even mind, enduring in all, and perse- 
vering through all. 

The true Christian has Godliness, or piety 
towards God, a deep reverential fear ; not only 
worshiping God with every becoming outward 
act, but adoring, loving, and magnifying Him in 
the heart ; worshiping Him in spirit and truth. 
He feels a spirit of Love towards fellow men, es- 
pecially a spirit of brotherly kindness, to all of 
Christ's flock of whatever name, feeling a spirit of 
union as a member of the same heavenly family. 
He has Charity, love to the whole human race, 
even to persecutors. True religion is neither sel- 
fish nor insulated ; it rejoices with those that re- 
joice, and weeps with those that weep. Possessed 
of these graces, the Christian is rendered active in 
all Christian duties, and is faithful in every good 
word and work. 

"But he that lacketh these things," says the 
Apostle, "is blind and cannot see afar off, and hath 
forgotten that he was purged from his sins.'' "He, 
whether Jew or Gentile,'' says a celebrated com- 
mentator, " who professes to have Faith in God, 
and has not added to that faith, fortitude, knowl- 
edge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly 
kindness, and universal love is blind ; his under- 
standing is darkened, and cannot see afar off * 

* * shutting his eyes against the light, wink- 
ing, not able to look truth in the face, nor to be- 
hold that God whom he once knew was reconciled, 
to him, and thus it appears that he is wilfully bli nd 



108 THE BOOK OP 

and hath forgotten he was purged from his old sins, 
has at last, through his non-improvement of the 
grace he has received from God, his faith ceasing 
to work by love, lost the evidence of things not 
seen, for having grieved the Holy Spirit by not 
showing forth the virtues of him who called him 
into his marvelous light * * * darkness and 
hardness having taken the place of light and filial 
confidence, he calls his former experience into 
doubt, and questions whether he has not put enthu- 
siasm in the place of religion. By these means his 
hardness and darkness increase, his memory be- 
comes indistinct and confused, till at length he for- 
gets the work of God on his soul ! 

The Apostle exhorts his brethren to " give dili- 
gence to make your calling and election sure ; for 
if ye do these things ye shall never fail." By 
which it appears that if the Christian is careful and 
diligent to work out his salvation by adding to his 
faith, virtue, &c, he will never stumble or fall. 
" He who does not by good works confirm his call- 
ing and election, will soon have neither ; although 
do good works ever did purchase, or ever can pur- 
chase the kingdom of God ; yet no soul can expect 
to see God who has them not. But if you give dili- 
gence and do not fall, an abundant, free and honor- 
able and triumphant entrance shall be ministered 
into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Sa- 
vior Jesus Christ. 

" Sanctification, that work of God's grace, by 
which we are renewed after the image of God, 



SIMILITUDES. 109 

set apart for his service and enabled to die unto sin 
and live unto righteousness ; it must be carefully 
considered in a two fold light. 1. As an inestima- 
ble privilege granted us from God, and 2d, as an 
all comprehensive duty required of us by his holy 
word. It is distinguished from justification thus : 
justification changeth our state in law before God 
as a judge ; sanctification changeth our heart and 
life before him as our Father, justification precedes, 
and sanctification follows as the fruit and evidence 
of it." 

Justification removes the guilt of sin ; sanctifi- 
cation conforms us to his image. Sanctifica- 
tion is a divine and progressive work. It is an in- 
ternal work, not consisting in external profession 
or bare morality ; it is a necessary work as to the 
evidence of our state, the honor of our characters, 
the usefulness of our lives, the happiness of our 
minds, and the enjoyment of God's presence in a 
future world. The sanctified Christian has a holy 
reverence, earnest regard, and patient submission to 
the will of God. Hence Archbishop Usher said of 
it, " Sanctification is nothing less than for a man to 
be brought to an entire resignation to his will, to 
the will of God, and to live in the offering up of 
his soul continually in the flames of love and as a 
whole burnt offering to Christ.'' 

The doctrine of Sanctification or Christian Per- 
fection has been a subject of some controversy in 
the Christian world, some asserting, others denying 
the doctrine of Christian Perfection, much of it, 



110 THE BOOK OF 

however, has been a controversy about words. 
Mr. Wesley, perhaps one of the strongest advo- 
cates of Christian Sanctification or perfection, says 
in his sermon on Perfection, when speaking of the 
perfection of angels, " it is not possible for man 
whose understanding is darkened, to whom mis- 
take is natural as ignorance, who cannot think at 
all, but by the mediation of organs which are 
weakened and depraved, to apprehend things dis- 
tinctly, and to judge truly of them. * * * In 
consequence hereof his affections depending on his 
understanding, are variously disordered. * * * 
It follows that no man, while in the body, can pos- 
sibly attain to angelic perfection.'' 

" 1ST either can any man while he is in a corrupt- 
ible body, attain to Adamic perfection. Adam be- 
fore his fall, was undoubtedly as pure, as free from 
sin, as ever the holy angels. In like manner his 
understanding was as clear as their's, and his af- 
fections as regular. * * But since man rebelled 
against his God, the case is widely different. * * 
The highest perfection which man can attain while 
the soul dwells in the body, does not exclude igno- 
rance and error, and a thousand other infirmities. 
A thousand infirmities will attend my spirit, till it 
returns to God who gave it. And, in numberless 
instances, it comes short of doing the will of God 
as Adam did in Paradise, hence the best of men 
may say from the heart 

'* Every moment, Lord, I need 
The merit of thy death;" 



SIMILITUDES. Ill 

For the innumerable violations of the Adamic, 
as well as the angelic law. * * " Love is [now] 
the fulfilling of the law " which is given to fallen 
man. This is now, with respect to us," the perfect 
law. But even against through the present weak- 
ness of our understanding, we are continually lia- 
ble to transgress. Therefore every man living 
needs the blood of the atonement, or he could not 
stand before God." 

The Apostle Paul may be considered as an emi- 
nent example of a sanctified Christian. As far as 
we can discover he appears to have done his whole 
duty after his conversion. Near the close of his 
life he says, " I have fought a good fight, I have 
finished my course, I have kept my faith," as if he 
had said in allusion to the Grecian games, I have 
struggled hard and have overcome, I have started 
for the prize, and have come up to goal, out strip- 
ping all my competitors and have gained the prize. 
I have kept the rules of the spiritual combat and 
race, and thus having contended lawfully and con- 
quered in each exercise, I expect the prize." All 
these assertions of St. Paul we are bound to believe 
as strictly true. 



112 



THE BO OK OP 




t i, 11 " V W f keth •» d(l rhness and knowelh not whither he goeth, 1 
John 11. ii. Lead me to the Rock that is higher than L Ps. 61 2 In ihv 
light shall we see light, Ps. 36, 9. ' * ln wy 

SUNLIGHT AND DARKNESS. 

See the two travellers, above, below ; 

One safely walks in sunlight's radiant glow, 

He mounts the upland path, and brightly rise 

New scenes of beauty, to his raptured eves. 

Fair cities, villages, and smiling fields 

With flocks and herds, the glowing landscape yields 

And onward still, through light he takes his way 

To the broad sunshin'e of eternal day. 

While he who walks below, nor seeks the light, 

Dwells in the gloom and shadows of the night, ' 

With fogs above, and pitfalls sunk around. 



SIMILITUDES. 113 

He gropes along o'er sloughs and miry ground, 
Heeds not the call that bids him seek the way 
That leads to sunlight and eternal day, 
Where walk God's children, living in the light, 
But blind and wilful, perishes in night. 

Here are two travelers, one standing on elevated 
ground, the other in the marsh or swamp below. 
The one on the elevated ground is in the sun- 
light, by which he beholds the fair face of nature 
which rejoices every where in the bright beams of 
day. The traveler, who, it may be, has been now 
just emerged from some dark and lonesome valley, 
is filled with delight as he views the prospect be- 
fore him. In one direction he beholds the splendid 
city ; on the other, the beautiful villages, the flocks 
and herds dotting the landscape, with the green 
forest, the waving fields of grass and flowers, — on 
the ground below is seen another traveler, who is 
enclosed in a fog or cloud so dense that the sun- 
light is in a great measure excluded. He traverses 
about in the midst of bogs and miry swamps ; he 
is bewildered, and knows not in what direction he 
is going. 

The same sun shines above both, but the last 
named traveler chooses to pursue his own way in 
the low grounds, which he has traversed ever since 
his first recollection. He has been invited to take 
another course, and travel up into the highlands 
where he can find a better country, where the 
light of the sun is not obscured, and where he will 
find firm and steady footing. He turns a deaf ear 
to all advice and entreaty, he pursues his chosen 



114 THE BOOK OF 

way, he wanders and stumbles amid bogs and miry 
places, and finding no sure footing, finally perishes 
in darkness amid the stagnant waters. 

The sunlight may represent the light of God's 
truth, and the sun, Deity itself. " God is Light," 
says an inspired writer, " and in him is no dark- 
ness at all." He is the source of all knowledge, 
wisdom, holiness and happiness, and having no 
darkness he has no ignorance, no imperfection, no 
sinfulness, no misery, Light is the purest, the sub- 
tile, the most useful, the most diffusive of all God's 
creatures, and is therefore a good emblem of the 
truth, perfection, purity and goodnes of the Di- 
vine Being. 

" God is to the human soul," says a celebrated 
writer, " what the sun is to the natural world ; 
without which terror and death would prevail." 
"Without an indwelling God, what is religion ? 
Without his all-penetrating and diffusive light, 
what is the soul of man ? Religion would be an 
empty science, a dead letter, a system unauthor- 
ized, and uninnuencing, and the soul a trackless 
wilderness, a howling waste full of evil, of terror, 
and dismay, and ever racked with realizing antici- 
pations of future, successive and permanent misery. 

The soul that lives and moves in the light of 
God's countenance is truly in an elevated position. 
While others are grovelling in the darkness of sin 
and error, he looks upward and around him, his 
vision is extended, he beholds the goodness of God 
about him. By an eye of Faith, he sees the New 



SIMILITUDES. 115 

Jerusalem the City of God, the fair fields of Para- 
dise, the Tree of Life, whose leaves are for the 
healing of the nations, and the mansions of the 
blessed. 

Darkness is the absence of light and may well 
signify ignorance, sin and misery. Even in hea- 
then nations, who are without the written revela- 
tion of God, assign to the wicked after death a 
region of darkness in which they roam about un- 
happy forever, while the righteous live and move 
in the bright sunshine of an eternal day. It is 
stated that the wicked love darkness because their 
deeds are evil, like the beasts of prey who hate the 
sunlight, but when the shades of night appear they 
creep forth from their dens to ravage and destroy. 

" Happy for the world," says an elegant writer, 
" were these the only destroyers that walk in dark- 
ness. But alas ! there are savages in human shape, 
who muffled in shades, infest the abodes of civilized 
life. The sons of violence make choice of this 
season to perpetrate the most outrageous acts ot 
wrong and robbery. The adulterer waiteth for 
twilight, and baser than the villain on the highway, 
betrays the honor of his bosom friend. Now fac- 
tion forms her close cabals, and whispers her trai- 
torous insinuations. Now rebellion plants the ac- 
cursed plots, and prepares the train to blow the 
nation to ruin. Now crimes which hide their odi- 
ous heads in the day, haunt the seats of society, 
and stalk through the gloom with audacious front." 
Now the wretched creatures who infest our popu- 



116 THE BOOK OF 

lous places crawl from their lurking places to wal- 
low in sin and spread contagion and death during 
the shades of darkness. 

He that walks in the darkness of sin, knoweth 
not whither he goeth, for that darkness hath blind- 
ed his eyes. Being in the quagmire, even that 
which seems firm earth trembles beneath him. He 
is deceived, when about to put his foot on what 
seems a firm foundation, it sinks beneath his feet, 
he gets deeper in the mire, and unless God interpo- 
ses he will sink to rise no more. 

Almost all forms of false religion thrive most 
when enveloped in darkness and obscurity. The 
mysteries, or the secret rites of the pagan religion 
were carefully concealed from the knowledge of 
the vulgar or common people. They are supposed 
to have originated in Egypt, perhaps the oldest 
country in the world, and the native land of idola- 
try. In this nation their kings were engrafted 
into the priesthood, a body of men who ruled pre- 
dominant. They possessed a third part of the 
land of Egypt. The sacredotal office was con- 
fined to one tribe, and was transmitted from 
father to son. All the orientals, but es- 
pecially the Egyptians, delighted in dark and alle- 
gorical doctrines, every maxim of morality, every 
tenent of theology and philosophy was wrapt up 
in a veil of darkness and obscurity. 

The religion of the ancient Europeans was that 
of Druidism. Their priests who were called Druids 
had the greatest influence over the minds of the 



SIMILITUDES. 117 

people. They had no temples, but they worshiped 
their Gods in the same dark consecrated grove in 
which the common people were not allowed to en- 
ter. Their chief sacrifices were human victims, 
supposed to have been prisoners of war. 

In more modern times the leaders of a certain 
system of faith have mostly chosen to conceal 
many of their movements amid clouds of 
obscurity and darkness. — A new Revelation, or su- 
perior light is now given if we are to credit 
the testimony which is given by many in our day. 
Communications direct from the spiritual world 
are said to be given. But in order to receive them 
we must enter into literal darkness, and by listen- 
ing to feeble rappings, we are to spell out truth. 

How different from all these clouds and mists of 
obscurity and darkness, is the sunlight of God's 
truth. All as far as can be, is open and plain, no 
concealment nor disguise. It commends itself to 
the conscience of every one in the sight of God. 
It lights up this dark world, the dark shadowy 
gloom of night is dispelled, the terror of death is 
taken away, a prospect of a bright future is opened 
before him, and he may say with the poet — 

" And darkness and doubt, are now flying away, 

No longer I r am in conjecture forlorn, 

So breaks on the traveler, faint, and astray 

The bright and balmy effulgence of morn. 

See truth, love and mercy, in triumph descending, 

And nature all glowing in Eden's fair bloom ! 

On the cold cheek of death, smiles and roses are blending 

And beauty immortal awakes from the tomb." 



118 



THE BOOK OF 

^97 




Just balances shall ye have, Lev. six, 36. Of whose hand have I received 
any bribe ? Sam xii' 3. Remove violence and execute j adgment and Justice 
Ezk. xlv. 9. 

JUSTICE. 

Justice aloft, an even balance bears, 

"With naked sword she no offender spares, 

No splendors bright can blind her honest sight, 

No tempting bribes can lure her from the right. 

When heaven-born Justice, spreads o'er earth her sway, 

The wicked hide in that auspicious day, 

Justice divine, the attribute of Heaven, 

Tempered with mercy now to mortals given. 

Justice is usually represented by a female figure 
having a pair of balances in one hand and a sword 
in the other. In the engraving annexed, she is de- 
picted as trampling under her feet a person who is 
holding up a bag of gold to attract her attention 



SIMILITUDES. 119 

and favor. The pair of scales which the female 
holds up in her right hand shows that justice care- 
fully weighs both sides of a cause. It is her office 
to punish crimes, therefore she wears a sword* 
She is not to be bought, therefore she tramples un- 
der her feet him who would offer her a bribe. 

Justice is an attribute of Deity, and it is that 
perfection whereby he is infinitely righteous and 
just, both in himself and in all his proceedings 
with his creatures. It has been defined thus : " the 
ardent, inclination of his will to prescribe equal 
laws as the supreme governor, and to dispense 
equal rewards and punishments." Among men, 
Justice may be defined that virtue which impels to 
give every person what is his due, and compre- 
hends the practice of every virtue which reason 
prescribes, or society should expect ; our duty to 
our Maker, to each other, and to ourselves, is fully 
answered, if we give them what we owe them. 

Justice has been held in esteem among all na- 
tions, and many examples of this virtue has been 
handed down to us on the page of history. Alex- 
ander Severus, one of the Roman emperors, was 
distinguished for his love of justice. In his mili- 
tary expeditions he visited the tents of his soldiers 
himself, to ascertain if any of them were absent. 
If he found that they had left the camp only to 
plunder, he inflicted punishment upon them for 
their rapacity and concluded his reprimands by 
asking them " if they would like to be plundered 
in the same manner ? " It was likewise his custom, 



120 THE BOOK OF 

whenever he punished an officer, either military or 
civil, to address the sufferer either in person or by 
the officer who was to see the sentence executed, 
with this equitable caution : " Do nothing to an- 
other which you would be unwilling should be done 
to yourself? For this golden rule, which he bor- 
rowed from the Christians, he had such an uncom- 
mon veneration, that he ordered it to be engraved 
in large capitals over the gate of his palace, and 
on the doors of many other public buildings. 

Themistocles once declared in a full assembly of 
the people, that he had a project of the greatest 
public utility, but its success depended on secrecy, 
and he desired that they would appoint a person 
to whom the secret could be confided. Aristides, 
surnamed " the Just," was the person fixed upon 
for that purpose, as the whole assembly confided in 
his prudence and honesty. Themistocles, there- 
fore, having taken him aside, informed him that 
that the project he had conceived, was to burn the 
fleet of the Grecian States which then lay in a 
neighboring port ; adding, that by this means, 
Athens would become absolute mistress of the 
sea, and the umpire of all Greece. After this ex- 
planation, Aristides returned to the assembly and 
informed them that if they carried out the project 
of Themistocles they would obtain the supreme 
power, but at the same time nothing could be more 
unjust or dishonorable. To their lasting honor the 
people unanimously voted that the project should 
be abandoned. 



SIMILITUDES. 121 

Zulcucus, law-giver of the Locrians, made a law 
that adultery should be punished with the loss of 
both the offender's eyes ; and it fell out so unhap- 
pily, that his own son was the first to commit 
that crime, and that he might at once express the 
tenderness of a father, and the uprightness of the 
judge, he caused one of his son's eyes to be put 
out and one of his own. Philip of Macedon, being 
urged to interpose his credit and authority with 
the judges, in behalf of one of his attendants 
whose reputation it was said, would be totally 
ruined by a regular course of justice, " very prob- 
ably," replied the King ; " but of the two, I had 
rather he should ruin his reputation than I mine?* 

One of the most remarkable instances of impar- 
tial justice on record, was exhibited by Brutus, the 
Roman Consul. Rome at that time being a Repub- 
lic, was governed by Consuls, a conspiracy was form* 
ed by Tarquin among the young nobility, whose ob- 
ject was to place him on the throne. This plot 
was discovered, and the brave and patriotic Bru- 
tus had the mortification and unhappiness to dis- 
cover that two of his sons were ringleaders in this 
conspiracy. His office was such that he was com- 
pelled to sit in judgment upon them, and while in 
this deeply interesting scene, all the spectators 
were in tears, he condemned them to be beheaded 
in his presence. The most powerful feelings of 
natural affection were overruled by a sense of his 
duty as an impartial judge. " He ceased to be a 
father,'' says an ancient author, " that he- might ex- 
10 



122 THE BOOK or 

eeute the duties of a consul, and chose to live 
childless, rather than to neglect the public punish- 
ment of a crime." 

About the beginning of the present century, one 
of the West India Islands, although under pro- 
fessed christian rulers, yet was so badly gov- 
erned that murder and assassinations were of fre- 
quent occurrence. During the revolutions of this 
period, this island was taken by the British troops. 
At the time of taking possession, British law was 
proclaimed thoroughout the Island, the British 
commander giving due notice that the laws would 
be enforced, and that every murderer would as- 
suredly be punished with death. 

Soon afterwards a sailor or soldier in a drunken 
affray on the Island, was stabbed to the heart 
by a woman. This coming to the knowl- 
edge of the commander, he immediately sent a file 
of men to arrest the murderer, who according to 
the customs of the place, claimed and expected 
priestly protection in defying the law. The 
commander of the troops, who also was governor 
and magistrate, immediately ordered a larger force 
to make the arrest and gave the populace to under- 
stand that the whole force on the island if necessa- 
ry would be employed to enforce the law. She 
was brought before the Governor and tried on the 
spot for murder. She still remained contumacious 
and expected to escape punishment. The Gover- 
nor fixing his eye upon the arrogant woman, at 
the same time pointing up to the sun then past the 



SIMILITUDES. 123 

meridian, and exclaimed with a loud voice : " Pris- 
oner, do you see yonder sun ? I take my oath be_ 
fore God you shall never see it set ! " True to the 
letter, the unhappy woman suffered the penalty of 
the law before the setting of the sun. Such a sum- 
mary execution of Justice inspired such a salutary 
terror to evil doers, that no more murders were 
committed while the British had possession of the 
Island. 

The peace of society dependeth on justice; the happiness of 
individuals, on the safe enjoyment of all their possessions. 

Keep the desires of thy heart, therefore, within the bounds 
of moderation; let the hand of justice lead them right. 

Cast not an evil eye on the goods of thy neighbor ; let what- 
soever is his property be sacred from thy touch. 

Let not temptation allure, nor any provocation excite thee 
to lift up thy hand to the hazard of his life 

Defame him not in his character ; bear not false witness 
against him. 

Corrupt not his servant to cheat or forsake him ; and the 
wife of his bosom, O, tempt not to sin. 

In thy dealings with men, be impartial and just ; and do, 
unto them as thou wouldst they do unto thee. 

Bt faithful to thy trust, and deceive not the man that reli- 
eth upon thee ; be assured it is less evil in the sight of God, 
to steal than to betray. 

Oppress not the poor, and defraud not of his hire the la 
boring man. 

When thou sellest for gain, hear the whisperings of cortr 
science, and be satisfied with moderation ; nor from the igno- 
rance of the buyer, make advantage to thyself. 

Pay the debts which thou owest ; for he who gave thee 
credit relied upon thy honor; and to withhold from. him his 
due, is both mean and unjust. 

Finally, O son of society ! examine thy heart ;: call; remem- 
brance to thine aid ; and if in any of these things thou, find*- 
est thou hast transgressed, take sorrow and? shame' to- thyself, 
and make speedy reparation to the utmost of thy power." 

Economy of Human, Life. 



124 



TH 



BOOK OF 




The Lord knoweth how to deliver. 2. Pet. 2, 
took me out of many waters. Ps. 18. 16. 



He sent from above, ho 

: : : ;verer. 



Lost overboard upon the angry wave, 
No human hand is near, the wretch to save, 
Fainter and fainter grows his parting breath, 
Each struggle only brings him nearer death, 
When lo ! the Albatross upon her way, 
Pauses with sudden swoop, to seize her prey. 
Dips in the foaming sea, her dusky wings, 
"With sudden unexpected hope he clings, 
Upborne by these he floats upon the waves 
Till some kind hand extends relief, and saves, 
O'erwhelmed in Life's dark sea, when hope departs, 
Some unexpected help ,new life imparts ; 
Floats downward like the bird on rapid wing, 
Tc which in joy, the sinking soul may cling. 



SIMILITUDES. 125 

The engraving represents a man in the ocean 
clinging to the Albatross, who endeavouring to 
fly from him bears him up above the mighty wa- 
ters, thus saving him from certain death. This, 
(although a most extraordinary circumstance,) ap- 
pears to be well authenticated. It took place in the 
following manner. While a division of the 83d, 
British regiment, was on its way to India, being at 
the time a short distance east of the Cape of Good 
Hope, one of the men was severely flogged for 
some slight offense ; maddened at the punishment, 
the poor fellow was no sooner released, than in the 
sight of all his comrades and the ship's crew, he 
sprang overboard. 

At this time there was a high sea running, and 
as the man swept on astern, all hope of saving him 
seemed to be gone. Relief, however, came from a 
quarter totally unexpected. During the delay in- 
cident on lowering a boat, and while the crowd on 
the deck were watching the form of the soldier 
struggling with the boiling waves, and growing 
every moment less distinct, a large Albatross, such 
as are always found in those latitudes, coming like 
magic, with an almost imperceptible motion, ap- 
proached and made a swoop at the man, who, in 
the agonies of the death struggle seized it, and 
held it firmly in his grasp, and by this means kept 
afloat until assistance was rendered from the 
vessel. 

But for the assistance thus almost miraculously 
rendered, no power on earth could have saved the 



126 THE BOOK OF 

soldier, as in consequence of the tremendous sea 
running, a long time elapsed before the boat could 
be manned and got down. All this time the man 
was clinging to the bird whose flutterings and 
struggles to escape bore him up. Who after this 
should despair ? A raging sea, — a drowning man, 
— an Albatross ; what eye could see safety under 
such circumstances ; or who will dare to call this 
chance? Is it not rather a lesson intended to 
stimulate faith and hope, and teach us never to 
despair, since in the darkest moment, when the 
waves dash, and the winds roar, and the mighty 
waters seem closing over our heads, "there maybe 
an albatross near ?" 

" It has been remarked," says Mr. Buck in his 
anecdotes, "that he who duly observes Divine 
providences, shall never want providences to ob- 
serve ; and certainly becomes us as rational crea- 
tures, and true christians, to contemplate the con- 
sumate wisdom and unbounded goodness of God 
in the various events which transpire. It is true 
that there are many difficult texts in the Book of 
Providence which we cannot easily elucidate ; but 
even what we at present see, hear and know, 
should lead us to admire Him who ordereth all 
things after the council of his own will ; and to 
wait with patience till the day shall arrive when 
we shall be constrained to say c He hath done all 
things well.' " 

How unexpected, and who would have thought 
that the greatest of modern religious Reformations 



SIMILITUDES.' 127 

in England should have been effected by Henry 
VIII, a cruel and superstitious king, the greatest 
enemy the Reformation ever had ; he whom by 
the force of his arms, and by the productions of the 
pen opposed this great work, refuting those whom 
he could not persecute, and persecuting those 
whom he could not refute. Who would have 
thought that this monarch should first serve the 
work he intended to subvert, clear the way for 
the Reformation, and by shaking off the Papal yoke 
execute the plan of Providence, while he seemed 
to do nothing but satiate his voluptuousness and 
ambition ? 

How unexpected was it that Martin Luther, an 
obscure monk, could have surmounted the obsta- 
cles of his preaching in Germany ; and that the 
proud Emperor, Charles V, who reckoned among 
his captives, pontiffs and kings, could not subdue 
one poor monk ? Who expected that the barbar- 
ous tribunal of the Inquisition under whose de- 
spotic power, so many nations trembled, should 
have been one of the principal causes of the Re- 
formation in the United Provinces of Holland ? 

All true Christians believe that there is an over- 
ruling Providence who can make use of unlikely 
instruments to accomplish his purposes. The fol- 
lowing is one among many well authenticated oc- 
currences which could be brought as an illustra- 
tion of this truth. A poor but pious man who 
obtained his living by carrying coal to market, 
was sometimes brought to extremities in supplying 



128 THE BOOK OF 

the wants of his family. On one occasion being 
unable to sell his coal, he was obliged to return to 
his family quite disheartened, as he had brought 
no food to supply the wants of his children. After 
they had retired for the night, the pious father 
retired to a little place near his house for prayer 
and meditation. While here his mind was drawn 
out in a remarkable manner while meditating on 
that passage in Habbakuk. " Although the fig 
tree shall not blossom, &c, yet I will rejoice 
in the God of my salvation." His mind was 
so absorbed in this subject, that he lost sight of all 
his difficulties and troubles. 

When he returned to his cottage again he was 
surprised to find his table loaded down with pro- 
visions. He could not obtain information who it 
was that sent them, and for many years afterwards 
this remarkable occurrence was a subject involved 
in wonder and mystery. Many years afterwards a 
miserly old man somewhere in the vicinity died, 
and it was remarked that he was never known to 
have performed a generous act by giving away 
any thing. This remark having been said one 
day in the hearing of an old servant woman who 
had lived with him, said it was not strictly true, as 
on one occasion, many years before his death, her 
master called her up, and after enjoining strict se- 
crecy, told her that he had suffered much in a 
dream in which he saw the family of the poor 
man who sold coal in a starving situation, and that 
he could not rest till he had relieved their suf- 



SIMILITUDES. 129 

fering. He told her to hurry on her clothes take 
a large basket of provisions, and make haste to 
the poor man's house, empty her basket on his 
table, answer no questions bnt hurry back as quick 
as she could, and to tell no one what had occurred. 
Thus relief or deliverance, came from an agent or 
source albatross-like totally unexpected. 

Quite a recent and remarkable deliverance took 
place on the ocean in the vicinity of the American 
coast. A large ocean steamer during a violent 
storm became disabled, and finally went down with 
all her treasures on board. A small Norwegian 
vessel weathered the storm, and at the time was 
sailing in different directions. A small bird having 
flown against his face once or twice, was, according 
to an ancient tradition or superstition of his coun- 
trymen, a token that he was sailing in a wrong di- 
rection ; he therefore altered his course. By this 
means he came in sight of the sinking ship, and 
although a heavy sea was running at the time he 
saved many lives before the ship went down. 



130 



THE BOOK OF 




Thou casteth my words behind thee. Ps. 50. 17. Knoweih not whether 
he goeth. 1 John 2. 11. Satan himself is transformed into an angel of 
Light. 2 Cor. 1L. 16. 



IGNIS FATUUS OR FALSE LIGHT. 



When through the gloom the traveler takes his way, 

No moonlight beam to shed its guiding ray, 

Then sudden gleaming, through the gloom of night 

The Ignis Fatuus, sheds delusive light. 

Dazzled, enchanted, with the fitful ray, 

The traveler casts his faithful lamp awa} T , 

Discards the book that might have been his guide, 

Pursues the phantom over wilds untried, 

Through bogs and quagmires, still he stumbles on, 

The illusive phantom glimmers and is gone, 

Till mid the quagmires sinking down to death, 

Bemoans his folly with his dying breath. 

So many a phantom with delusive ray, 

Through error's night, would lead our souls astray, 

But Heavenh" truth, our lamp, a trusty friend, 

A faithful guide, grows brighter to the end. 



SIMILITUDES. 131 

The Ignis Fatuus is a meteor or light that ap- 
pears in the night over marshy grounds, supposed 
to be occasioned by phosphoric matter arising 
from decaying substances, or by some inflammable 
gas, sometimes vulgarly called Jack O'Lantern. 
Wonderful stories have been told of travelers 
being misled and bewildered by following these 
lights, which moved from place to place when they 
were approached. These appearances have been 
observed from ancient times. Milton, in his Para- 
dise Lost, thus describes the Ignis Fatuus : 

A wandering fire, 
Compact of unctuous vapor, which the night 
Condenses, and the cold environs round, 
Kindled through agitation to a flame, 
(Which oft, they say, some evil spirit attends) 
Hovering and blazing with delusive light, 
Misleads th' amaz'd night-wanderer from his way, 
Through bogs and mires, and oft through pond, or pool, 
There swallow' d up and lost, from succor far. 

In passing through this dark world, the Father 
of our Spirits has given us His word as our guide- 
book, and has also given us the light, or lamp, of 
Reason, by which we are able to learn its contents. 
In the engraving annexed, a traveler seeing a lumin- 
ous and perhaps a beautiful object before him, is 
attracted by it, and leaves the path in which he is 
traveling. He discards his guide-book, the Bible, 
throws down the lamp by which he has been able 
to discern his pathway, and follows the new light, 
or revelation, which now appears just before him. 
He is led into morasses, swamps and quagmires in 
pursuit of his object. He becomes infatuated with 



132 THE BOOK OF 

the luminous object, he wanders far away, gets 
among bogs and perhaps perishes in the mire. 

The above is a striking similitude of many of the 
ISTew Light theories which are continually spring- 
ing up from age to age. The great object of Sa- 
tan, the enemy of mankind, is to deceive, mislead 
and destroy. For this purpose he transforms him- 
self into an angel of light. In this form, he de- 
ceived our first mother, by pretending that she 
should get a great increase of light, that is, wisdom 
and understanding, and by this means came sin 
and death into the world, and all our woe. 

In order to effect the ruin of mankind, Satan 
being a "liar from the beginning," endeavors to 
lower our estimation of the Bible as the word of 
God, and finally to discard its doctrines and pre- 
cepts. He at first proceeds in a covert way, and 
induces men to reject a part only as being of di- 
vine inspiration, then the whole is easily discarded, 
or thought to be inferior to the new light, or reve- 
lation which appears elsewhere. The object of the 
enemy is now accomplished, the poor traveler is 
deceived. He now throws down the Bible, the 
only sure guide-book, and follows an Ignis Fatuus 
into the mire and swamps of error and sin, where 
he sinks to rise no more. 

In order to destroy the credibility of the Chris- 
tian religion, Satan strikes at the divinity of Jesus 
Christ, and at the influences of the Holy Spirit. 
Our Lord proved his divinity by the miracles he 
performed : by the laying on his hands he restored 



SIMILITUDES. 133 

the sick to health. In imitation of this, in our 
age we have those among us who by certain mani- 
festations, the laying on of hands, &c, profess to 
heal the sick, and perform many wonderful acts. 
By the theory of this system, he that was in the 
beginning with God, and by whom all things were 
created, is stated to be but a mere man, and all 
the miracles which he performed, were accomplish- 
ed by the same power which they possess. He was 
inspired, so likewise are we : in a measure we have 
the same power which he possessed, to restore the 
sick to health. 

It is a doctrine of Christianity that the Spirit of 
God operates upon the human soul and transforms 
men unto the image of Christ, who thus become 
Christians, or partakers of this divine nature. 
We have those among us, in our age, who claim 
power to transfuse their souls into that of others, 
and control all their acts, and even all their 
thoughts. In this particular, they claim in effect 
the same power which is possessed by the Spirit of 
God. 

In addition to the foregoing, the followers of 
this new light, or revelation, in certain cases claim 
the attribute of omniscience ; they also profess to 
summon persons from another world, and converse 
with departed spirits or demons. Thus, the Deity 
worshiped by Christians is brought down to the 
level of poor sinful mortals, who contend that their 
revelations are like to his, and in some respects 
they claim almost equal power. 
11 



134 THE BOOK OF 

Thus, in these things, professing themselves to 
be wise, they become fools, walking in the light 
their own fires have kindled. It must however be 
confessed that many things have occurred in our 
day which remain totally unexplained. The depths 
of Satan are not fully known, and to wmat extent 
his power may be exhibited, we know not, but it is 
our wisdom to follow no other light but that which 
proceeds from the word of God. 

The heathen oracles of antiquity, the sooth- 
sayers, the wizards, possessors of familiar spirits, 
and the spirit of divination mentioned in the Scrip- 
tures, the magicians of Egypt, ancient and mod- 
ern, the fortune-tellers and mediums of the present 
age may all be comprised under one class. The or- 
acle among the heathens was the answer which the 
gods were supposed to give to those who consulted 
them upon any affair of importance. It is also 
used for the God who was thought to give the an- 
swer, and for the space where it was given. Many 
of these answers were given in caves and subter- 
raneous caverns ; numerous and disagreeable cere- 
monies were enjoined on the priest or medium 
through which communications were made, such as 
sleeping in the fresh skins of beasts, &c. 

The priestess of the Delphic Oracle, in Greece, 
when placed over a fissure from which proceeded a 
sulphurous vapor, began to foam at the mouth, tore 
her hair and flesh, and the words uttered during 
her frenzy were put in verse and delivered as the 
answer of the oracle. At Dodona, the priestess 



SIMILITUDES. 135 

foretold future events, by attentively observing the 
murmur of the sacred oaks, the voice of falling 
water, &c. In modern times, the medium through 
which communications are made, are first put 
asleep, or have their powers of mind or body stu- 
pified, or paralyzed. 

Those who have paid much attention to these 
subjects are divided in opinion. Some suppose 
they are only the invention of jugglers, others be- 
lieve that there is a diabolic agency employed in 
these matters. As this latter opinion cannot be 
proved either impossible, or unscriptural, it is no 
absurdity in believing in its correctness ; indeed 
it is difficult to account for many things which 
stand recorded on the pages of history in every 
age, and of every nation, on other grounds. The 
existence and exercise of supernatural power, both 
good and bad, is acknowledged in every part of 
the Bible. All true Christians believe in the su- 
pernatural influence of the Divine Spirit. To what 
extent Satanic power is suffered to exist on mind 
and matter we know not, but we are continually 
warned against its machinations. 

The Apostle Paul says, "the Spieit speaketh 
expressly " of apostles in latter times, " giving 
heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons," 
(i. e. dead men,) he probably refers to Isaiah's pre- 
diction of men who should say, — " Seek unto them 
that have familiar spirits, * * * should not a 
people seek unto their (rod, for the living to the 
dead ?" Hence the Prophet's injunction is pecu- 



136 THE BOOK OF 

liarly appropriate to us in these modern times. 
" To the Law and to the Testimony — if they speak 
not according to his word, it is because there is no 
light in them." 

"AH things," says a recent writer, "betoken that 
we are certainly on the first steps of a career of 
demoniac conjecture." Rejecting the Bible as au- 
thority, claiming for men inspiration in common 
with Christ and the Apostles, and of the same 
kind, regarding sin as but a small matter, merely 
as immaturity of development, setting aside all the 
Christian doctrines of a fall of angels and men 
from original holiness, of the depravity of man, 
the atonement of Jesus Christ, regeneration, par- 
don, &c. The system is beginning to be under- 
stood, though but half developed — " a polytheistic 
pantheism, disguising under the name of Sjm'it, a 
subtle but genuine materialism," — a system which 
defines the soul as a substance not distinct from the 
body, but the result of corporeal organization. 

It has been observed that the spirit-world of this 
system is like that of ancient Egypt, so distinguish- 
ed for its magicians, and " is substantially the same 
whether described by a western medium, or a 
Paris clairvoyant, by the seer of Poughkeepsie, or 
the Seerest of Prevorst." The Egyptians divided 
the whole world into three zones : — the first was 
the earth, or zone of trial ; the second was the 
zone of the air, perpetually agitated by the winds 
and storms, and was considered as the zone of tem- 
poral punishment ; the third was the zone of rest 



SIMILITUDES. 137 

and tranquility; these zones were divided into 
thirty-two departments, where the souls of the 
dead were to be distributed, &c. 

Those professing to have received the new illu- 
mination or Relevation, state there is a series of 
grand spheres, commencing with man's rudimen- 
tal sphere in the flesh, and ascending in just gra- 
dation to the highest heavens. Each grand sphere 
comprises several secondary spheres or circles, and 
each secondary sphere or circle has several de- 
grees, <fcc, &c." 

While claiming to supply the lacking evidence 
of immortality needed to convert Infidels, those 
that follow this " New Revelation " indirectly deny 
that the resurrection of Christ " brought life and 
immortality." Invoking the presence of many 
mediators, they deny the one mediator Christ, by 
whom alone we approach to God. — Claiming to be 
the heralds of millennial glory, yet, with few ex- 
ceptions, denying "that blessed hope, even the 
glorious appearing of our great God and savior 
Jesus Christ." 

" Mighty as the deep yearning of mankind in all 
ages to penetrate the tremendous secrets of the 
dead ; mighty as the conception of departed worth, 
the unutterable longing of depraved hearts for the 
unforgotten, and the extatic delight of souls sud- 
denly restored to converse with the idolized, whose 
loss made life a desert. They weave the spell of 
exciting novelty; they excite the vague presenti- 
ment of boundless discovery, and unveil a dazzling 



138 THE BOOK OF 

horizon of an elyseum without a cross, where man- 
kind shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 
Drunk with this elixir, the millions surrender them- 
selves to the implicit sway of — ichat powers f 
Powers unseen, powers aerial, under the masterly 
guidance of some one mind of fathomless ability, 
and fathomless guile." 

A foreign divine, a few years since, in a lecture 
on religious subjects, stated that " there remains 
yet for the world, as the crowning delusion, a lying 
imitation of the kingdom and dispensation of the 
Spirit — such as the lawless Communist sects of the 
middle ages, in the Familists of a later day, and in 
the St. Simonians of our own, has attempted to 
come to the birth, though in each case the world 
was not ripe for it yet, and the thing was with- 
drawn for a time, to reappear in an after hour — 
full of false freedom, full of the promise of bringing 
all things into one ; making war on the family, &c: 

This adversary, [the Antichrist of St. Paul,] is not 
simply the wicked one, but the lawless one ; and the 
mystery is not merely a mystery of iniquity, but 
of laiclessness. Law, in all its manifestations, is 
that which he shall rage against, making hideous 
misapplication of that great truth, that where the 
Spirit is, there is liberty.'' 



SIMILITUDES. 



139 




The Backslider, turning to his former sins, the Guardian Angel weeps, 
Satan approaches to resume his reign over him, while the Spirit is departing. 

THE BACKSLIDER. 

Behold the sinner turning to his sins again ; 
Pride, gluttony, ill-will, a kindred train — 
The holy, heavenly dove departing flies, 
His guardian angel views with weeping eyes. 
Satan approaches to resume his sway, 
And guide him swiftly on his downward way. 
Oh ! wretched man, who thus has turned aside 
From all that might to peace and virtue guide. 

Backsliding is defined as turning from the path 
of duty. It pre-supposes that the person who is 



140 THE BOOK OF 

guilty of it, has, in some part of his life, and to 
some extent, performed his duty in keeping the 
commandments of God. The engraving represents 
a person of this description, who having once cast 
off, or renounced his sins, but by unwatchfulness, 
and by the force of temptation, is led to the com- 
mission of his former crimes and transgressions. 

In the engraving, the backslider is represented as 
taking into his companionship, it may be, those of 
his old associates whom he had formerly discarded. 
He ran well for a season, but is now hindered. Per- 
haps he begins to be ashamed of the cross of Christ. 
Pride now begins to show her shining feathers. 
Instead of pardoning, or forgiving those who tres- 
pass against him, he indulges in feelings of ill-will 
and anger, which, if persisted in, will assuredly 
consign him to perdition. 

Instead of endeavoring to attain purity of mind, 
the backslider indulges in unclean thoughts and 
desires which, if not checked and resisted, will soon 
break out into open acts of licentiousness. The 
lower passions claim indulgence, and by gluttony 
and intemperance one is assimilated, or made like 
the unclean beast. Indulgence of sin blinds the 
mind, deceit is practiced, till at length it finds a 
lodgment in the bosom. 

The backslider, as he rejects the divine admoni- 
tion, causes the heavenly Spirit to depart. Satan, 
prince of the children of disobedience, approaches 
to resume his sway over one of his former subjects. 
The guardian angel weeps over the waywardness 



SIMILITUDES. 141 

of her charge. Rejection of the divine counsel — ■ 
the indulgence of the hateful passions of fallen hu- 
manity, with the practice of beastly vices, places 
man on the high road to everlasting destruction. 

Throughout the Word of God continual cautions 
are given against the danger of backsliding, or of 
departing from the living God. Even among an- 
gelic beings, the highest order of intelligences, we 
find backsliding — they left their first estate, and by 
transgression fell. Hence the expression of Isaiah, 
" How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son 
of the morning !" So our first parents in the gar- 
den of Eden, being tempted, or persuaded by the 
devil, became backsliders, and fell from the state 
of happiness by disobeying God. 

Solomon, king of Israel, the wisest of mortals, 
who was admitted to near converse with his Maker, 
and who gave him a wise and understanding heart, 
so that there was none like him before, nor should 
be afterwards. Even this ruler, so distinguished 
for piety and greatness, became a backslider to such 
an extent that he committed the greatest of crimes, 
by joining in the worship of the false gods of the 
heathen. If such men fall from their steadfastness, 
it well becomes us all to " look diligently lest any 
man fail of the grace of God." 

"We have recorded instances of backsliding and 
apostacy under the Christian dispensation, as in the 
case of Peter Judas, Demas, and others. The 
apostle Paul, speaking of the Jews, his countrymen, 
who were highly distinguished above all other na- 



142 THE BOOK OF 

tions for their superior priviliges, says " they were 
broken off for their unbelief." Speaking to the 
Romans, he says, " Be not high-minded, but fear, 
for thou standest by faith ;'' as if he had said, " they 
once stood by faith ; they gave place to unbelief, 
and fell. You stand now by faith, but it is as pos- 
sible for you to be unfaithful, as it was for them, 
consequently you may fall, as they have done. 

" The causes of backsliding,'' says one, are " the 
parleying with temptations, the cares of the world, 
improper connections, inattention to secret or closet 
duties ; self-conceit and dependence, and self-indul- 
gence. A backsliding state is manifested by in- 
difference to prayer and self-examination, trifling 
or unprofitable conversation, neglect of public ordi- 
nances, shunning the people of God, associating 
with the world, thinking lightly of sin, neglect of 
the Bible, and often by gross immorality." 



Better that we had never known 

The way to heaven through saving grace, 

Than basely in our lives disown, 

And slight and mock thee to thy face. 



Come back ! this is the way ; 

Come back, and walk therein 
O may I hearken and obey, 

And shun the paths of sin. 



SIMILITUDES. 



143 




Th,°?Z ad ve™ary . wh0 m resist steadfast in the faith. 1 Pet. v. 8 9 



THE TRIALS OF FAITH. 
Faith passes on, undaunted, on her way, 
Though many a tempting foe would lead astray, 
ihe wreaths of fame and honor, to her sight 
Are lure displayed in tempting radiance bright ■ 
Ihe horn of plenty, at her feet is poured, 
The halls of pleasure spread their costly board, 
While on the left, the fires of persecution flame, 
And foes entice, or openly assail: 
But Faith goes on her way, and bears the cross 
And counting all her earthly gains but loss • 
Treads in her Master's steps, the Son of God' 
Who once on earth that fiery pathway trod ' 



144 THE BOOK OF 

Faith is here represented, or personified, by a 
female figure surrounded by several persons repre- 
senting various temptations and obstacles set for- 
ward to oppose and stop her in her onward and 
upward course. Wreaths of honor and distinction 
are placed at her feet. The halls of pleasure are 
opened, and she is invited to come in thither. On 
the other hand, the fires of persecution blaze, while 
the demon of slander and detraction assail her from 
behind. But amid all, Faith looks upward and 
presses forward, holding up the cross, the emblem 
of him through whom she expects to conquer. She 
follows the example of her Lord and Master, who 
once had the whole world offered to him if he 
would turn aside. 

Many times those who have commenced the 
christian course in earnest, have been strongly 
tempted to turn aside, by the riches and honors 
which have been placed before them to draw 
their attention from heavenly things. But we have 
many instances on record where faith has overcome. 
We have an illustrious example in Moses, the ser- 
vant of God, who, through faith, refused to be 
Called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, thus renounc- 
ing all the pleasures and honors of Egypt, choosing 
rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, 
than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. 

The love of honor, glory and renown, some men 
of elevated spirits have preferred before all the 
pleasures of sense and imagination put together. 
This passion, when it takes possession of the soul, 



SIMILITUDES. 145 

is one of the strongest which is felt by the human 
mind. It has triumphed over the strongest pro- 
pensities of nature, our appetites and affections. 
See the conqueror devoting himself to a life of con- 
stant toil, pain, alarms, &c, to gain himself a name, 
to be praised and admired by those about him, and 
to have the fame of his exploits carried to distant 
lands. How many, in every age, have hazarded 
theii lives upon a mere point of honor, and 

" Ventured everlasting death 
To gain this airy good." 

All this has been overcome by the grace of God. 
Persons have been found willing to have their 
names cast out as evil, yea to be counted as the 
filth and offscouring of all things, and suffer all 
things, for the sake of Christ. 

The tempter endeavors to draw Faith aside to 
the halls and mansions of ease and pleasure, the 
doors are opened wide, and she is almost pressed 
to go in. But, remembering the words of inspira- 
tion, " touch not, taste not, handle not," Faith with- 
draws her foot from the gilded halls of pleasure^ 
which indeed appear desirous to the eye, and sense, 
but are the very chambers of death. These trials 
of faith are at times extremely dangerous — many 
have fallen by them to rise no more. Faith, how- 
ever, by turning off her eyes from beholding vanity, 
and looking above, gains the victory. 

Persecution raises his flaming torch, and endea- 
vors to terrify faith, and force her from the christian 
path of duty. Hundreds of instances are on record 
13 



146 THE BOOK OF 

where those of the noble company of martyrs have 
endured, literally, the " fiery trial," being burned 
at the stake, rather than renounce the faith which 
they had professed. The apostle Paul, in his epistle 
to the Hebrews, gives a long list of the primitive 
martyrs, who had their faith tried by various tor- 
tures. Some had trial of " cruel mockings," — sup- 
posed to be, by some commentators, their being 
exhibited like wild beasts at public spectacles, held 
up as objects of scorn, derision and contempt. 
They had " scourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds 
and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were 
sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the 
sword. They wandered about in sheepskins, and 
goat-skins ; being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 
they wandered in deserts, in mountains, and in 
dens and caves of the earth." 

In more modern times, the Albigenses of France, 
and the Waldenses in the valleys of Piedmont, 
were hunted and extirpated like wild beasts. John 
Huss, and Jerome of Prague, were burned at the 
stake, nobly contending for the faith, and went, as 
it were, in a fiery chariot to heaven. During the 
reign of Queen Mary, in England, Latimer, Ridley, 
and a noble company of others, bore testimony to 
the faith, when wrapped in flames of fire. 

One great trial of faith, in every age, has been 
the endurance of slander, from those whose tongues 
are like sharp swords. The ancient christians were 
defamed, and were made as the " filth of the earth, 
and the offscouring of all things." They were 



SIMILITUDES. 147 

charged with being the enemies of the government 
under which they lived, the disturbers of the public 
peace, the revilers of the gods, and of true religion. 
They were even charged with the most abominable 
crimes, in order to prejudice the public mind 
against them. In one instance the emperor him- 
self caused a city to be set on fire, and then charg- 
ed it upon the christians, in order to rouse the 
public indignation against them. 

To be made as the filth of the earth, and off- 
scouring of all things, is to be made a curse, or 
sacrifice. Allusion is here made to the custom of 
heathen nations, who, in a time of public calamity, 
chose out some men of a most despicable character 
to be a public expiation -for them. These they 
maintained a whole year at the public expense, and 
then led them out, crowned with flowers, as was 
customary in sacrifices; having heaped all the 
curses of the country upon their heads, and whip- 
ped them seven times, they burned them alive, and 
afterwards their ashes were thrown into the sea, 
while the people said " be our propitiation." The 
apostle, therefore, who speaks of these trials of 
faith, means by it that he and his brethren were 
treated like those wretched beings who were 
judged to be fit for nothing but expiating victims 
to the infernal gods, for the safety and redemption 
of others. 

The Divine Author of Christianity, while expir- 
ing on the cross for the salvation of the world, was 
derided and mocked by those whom he came to 



148 THE BOOK OF 

save. While hanging on the cross, those that 
passed by wagged their heads, in token of con- 
tempt, saying, you who pretended to be able to 
destroy the temple, and build it again in three days, 
if you be the Son of God, and have such power, 
why do you not save yourself — why not come 
down from the cross. You have saved others it is 
true, but you cannot save yourself, and if you are 
the Son of God, as you pretend, let him save you. 
If you will come down from the cross, where we 
have put you, we will then believe you. Thus, (O 
astonishing thought,) the Lord of life and glory 
" endured the contradiction of sinners against him- 
self," and " despising the shame," has left his fol- 
lowers a bright example of meekness, patience and 
endurance, under the most aggravated insults which 
can be offered. 

It has been the lot of some of God's people, when 
in their dying moments, to endure " cruel mock- 
ings" from their enemies. Amid barbarous men, 
to whom they went on errands of love, the devoted 
heralds of the cross have been seized and put to 
death in extreme tortures. While crying, in their 
last moments, on the Lord Jesus to receive their 
souls, their dying groans have been mocked, the 
adorable name on which they called, blasphemed, 
insulted, and derided, as a being unable to. deliver 
those who trust in him. Others have been burnt 
to ashes, amid the triumphant shouts and derisive 
veils of demons in human form. 



SIMILITUDES. 



149 




When lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, 
bringeth forth death. Jas. L 15. 

FOUR FATAL STEPS. 

Behold in truthful types depicted here, 
Four downward steps in errors mad career : 
First Debt, the parent source of many an ill, 
Incites to covet, keeps him anxious still ; 
Then Falsehood comes, the debt he cannot pay, 
Will prompt his lips a lying tale to say ; 
Then Theft, that by dishonest means obtains 
The sum he cannot raise by honest gains ; 
Next, theft found out, Murder must then conceal 
The crime, his victim else would soon reveal — 
Beyond all these, the dreary future shows, 
The hangman's gibbet is the fearful close. 

It is a direction of infinite wisdom, through the 
Apostle, to " owe no man anything," &c, which, 
though primarilarly spoken in reference to that love 
which we owe to one another, yet no doubt includes 
the pecuniary obligations due to our fellow men. 



150 THE BOOK OP 

The wisdom of this command is apparent, when 
we see that an opposite course is opening the door 
to temptation, and places us on the direct road to 
ruin. 

One sin leads to another. We may in the first, 
strongly covet something which we do not possess, 
and which it is not necessary that you should have. 
He has thus far led, it may be, an honest life, and 
his neighbors have confidence in his integrity. 
Taking advantage of this circumstance, he borrows 
money of his neighbor, in the first instance, without 
any intention of deceiving or defrauding him in the 
slightest degree. He expects, no doubt, to be able 
to return what he has borrowed by the time ap- 
pointed. But he has not made any provision to 
meet any disappointment, (which may take place 
at any time,) and has erred in not making his friend 
acquainted with his circumstances. He has, how- 
ever, taken a load on his shoulders which he does 
not exactly know how to get off — he has got into 
debt — he is on to the first of the four fatal steps. 

After a person has become involved in debt, the 
next downward step is that of lying. Having bor- 
rowed the sum wanted, he, for a time, feels quite 
easy, and instead of taking measures to fulfill his 
obligations, he puts off till to-morrow what ought 
to be done to-day. The time of payment arrives, 
and he is unprepared to meet it. Perhaps he thinks 
his neighbor does not want the money, and it will 
not make much difference whether he is paid this 
week or the next. The time passes by — he has 



SIMILITUDES. 151 

broken his word. He begins to make excuses to 
his creditor, who had put confidence in him. He 
attempts to put his case in a more favorable light 
than it ought to be ; he begins to prevaricate, and 
then practices deception, perhaps at first on a small 
scale. He borrows of one person to pay another 
it may be with still less probability of paying than 
before. He now begins to practice deception on a 
larger scale than before — he will now begin to tell 
what he considers a small lie, and after a while will 
tell a direct falsehood in order to accomplish his 
purposes. 

The third fatal step downward is stealing. Hav- 
ing, by a course of deception and lying, destroyed 
his credibility, he now finds that no one will trust 
him with any thing on the strength of his word. 
He is now pressed for money, and he knows of no 
means to obtain it except by fraud, stealing and 
robbery. Having thus far possessed a decent ex- 
terior, and a regard for common morality, he has 
facilities to perpetrate these crimes which others, 
more gross and wicked in their outward conduct, 
have not. He may, for a time, so manage as to 
escape the legal penalties of crime, but he is fast 
preparing himself to commit the greatest enormi- 
ties. 

The fourth, or last fatal step is murder, or the 
taking of human life, to conceal fraud, or robbery. 
By a long course of deception, the mind of him 
who commenced his downward career by creating 
an unnecessary debt, becomes, in a measure, seared 



152 THE BOOK OF 

and blinded. In fact lie has succeeded in deceiving 
himself. He has wished, perhaps, that there would 
be no future world, where men will be punished 
for crimes done in this. He has at length brought- 
himself to believe that this is true. He has kept 
himself aloof from places where he might gain in- 
struction. He will not come to the light, lest his 
deeds be reproved. 

He has seen, it may be, many villaines and out- 
rages perpetrated which have been followed with 
the desired success, and because punishment is not 
executed speedily, the heart is fully set to do evil. 
He may, perhaps, bring himself to believe that 
there is no hereafter — that when a man dies, that 
is the end of him. He has now prepared himself 
for the commission of any crime, in which human 
penalties are not involved. To escape this, and 
following the maxim " dead men tell no tales," he 
will, in order to conceal his crime, commit murder, 
and for this act will, in all probability, end his ca- 
reer in this life on the gallows. 

Many well known instances might be cited where 
the foregoing crimes have been committed in the 
order in which they are here described. No man 
become a villain at once. Inclined, as the unre- 
generate heart is, to sin, yet there is a first step in 
the path of every crime. At that point in the ca- 
reer of guilt, the man would have shuddered at the 
thought of deeds which he afterwards performed 
without remorse. 

In cases where the highest crime is not commit- 



SIMILITUDES. 153 

ted, we see frequent accounts where men are totally 
ruined by crimes committed in consequence of get- 
ting into debt, and practicing deception. A clerk 
in a store, a teller in a bank, an agent in his office, 
has peculiar temptations. How many have been 
ruined by making an unnecessary display in house- 
hold matters. He who is constantly handling the 
money of others, is tempted, when in a strait, 
to use some small part of it for his own use, with 
the promise, perhaps, made to himself, that he will 
restore it, and that speedily. But he finds it easier 
to borrow than to pay, when no one calls him to 
an account. The more he takes, the more he wants 
to take. He begins a course of extravagance, and 
falls into sins that requires money to secure the 
indulgence. He speculates, in hope of paying all 
back at once ; every plunge increases his embarrass- 
ment ; his guilt breaks out ; he flies from justice, a 
lost, self-ruined man. 

In connection with this subject, it may be stated 
that lying is one of the most dishonorable and dis- 
graceful acts of which human beings can be guilty. 
It is the mark of a mean and worthless spirit ; a 
vice which early discovers itself in the human 
mind ; and to discourage or eradicate it, no caution 
or attention can be too great or severe. As it is 
founded in the worst principles, so is it productive 
of the greatest evils, being not only bad in itself, 
but is used to cloak other offenses. " Simply to 
lie," says one, "is an offense; to lie, in order to 
conceal a fault, is a double offense ; but to lie with 



154 THE BOOK OF 

a malicious purpose, with a view to prejudice others, 
is an offense aggravated ten-fold, and truly dia- 
bolical." 

" Never," says a writer, addressing the young, 
" in a smaller or greater matter, suffer your lips to 
deviate from the truth — speak it honestly, openly, 
and without reserve — you cannot conceive how 
easily the mind is corrupted by the slightest indul- 
gence in falsehood, by the least license given to 
Httle mean reservations, equivocations and mental 
chicanery. Be assured that a fault is always doubled 
by denying it — an open, frank confession disarms 
resentment, and conciliates affection. * * * * 
There is great reason to presume that those who 
are conscientious in their words, will be so in their 
actions. * * The least temptation to fraud must 
never be suffered to remain a moment in your 
hearts ; dishonesty will blast your reputation, and 
all your hopes, and it will be still worse in those 
who are entrusted with the charge of others pro- 
perty ; for a breach of trust is one of the highest 
aggravations of an offense." 



SIMILITUDES 



155 







Take heed that no man deceive you. Matt. xxiv. 4. The God of this 
world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not. 2 Cor. iv. 4. 

THE CONCEALED ATTACK. 

The opposing ranks that would the foe approach, 
Would stealthily upon their ranks encroach, 
Not with the blast of trumpet, or the sound 
Of martial music, waking echoes round — 
But 'mid the smoke, whose curling wreaths arose, 
Filling the landscape, blinding thus their foes ; 
Then drawing near, the enemy surprise ; 
Before their ranks the routed army flies. 

In the recent war with Mexico, a military officer 
wishing to attack a strong position of his opponents, 
felt that his success would be doubtful if his move- 



156 THE BOOK OF 

ments were seen by the enemy. Having laid hia 
plan to make the attack at a certain point, he threw 
forward, in front of the enemy's works, numerous 
smoke balls which he had prepared for the occasion. 
By this means a dense cloud of smoke arose over 
the whole field, which entirely concealed the ap- 
proach of the Americans, till they were almost 
within the works of the enemy. The attack was 
made in such a covert and sudden manner, that no 
opportunity was given the enemy to make an ef- 
fectual resistance, and the fortifications were easily 
taken. 

This mode of attack has often been made use of 
when some important truth, or doctrine of Christi- 
anity has been assailed. It would not answer the 
purposes of those who wish to prevent divine truth, 
to assail it in an open and direct manner. The 
assault must be made in a covert way ; other issues 
and appearances are presented, which conceal from 
the vision of the mind, the real approach of the 
enemy, like the smoke-balls which shut off the vision 
from surrounding objects. 

In the first ages of Christianity, the heathen em- 
perors and magistrates wished to destroy Christian- 
ity. In order to accomplish this, it seemed neces- 
sary to put to death all who embraced it. Such 
were the holy and blameless lives of the first Chris- 
tians, that it would have been too shocking an out- 
rage to put them to death merely on account of 
their religious belief; therefore various crimes were 
laid to their charge. One of the heathen emperors 



SIMILITUDES. 15 Y 

set Rome on fire, and then charged it upon the 
Christians. They were even accused of being can- 
nibals, or eaters of human flesh, and also that they 
sacrificed young children to their God. 

By such, and kindred means, the people became 
exasperated, their vision was obscured as to the 
real object of the enemies of Christianity, by the 
clouds of indignation which arose on account of 
their supposed enormities. As if this was not suffi- 
cient to arouse the multitude to action, an appeal 
was made to their fears. " These Christians," said 
they, " blaspheme our gods, whose anger is kindled 
against us, and our country, on this account ; else 
why do we witness such storms, tempests, inunda- 
tions and earthquakes. Before this hated sect arose, 
such things rarely happened. To save ourselves 
and country from ruin, to appease the anger of 
our deities, we must put these Christians to death." 
Under the cover of indignation against crime on 
one hand, and of patriotism and love of country on 
the other, vast numbers of christians were put to 
death throughout the Roman empire. 

The rulers of the Jews wished to put to death 
the Son of God, who had given his testimony 
against their vices and crimes. But such was his 
beneficence and spotless purity, that they feared to 
lay their hands upon him. Some cover, or cloud 
of smoke, must be raised to conceal their real de- 
sign. He was accused of speaking against the Mo- 
saic religion, against their temple, and was a de- 
ceiver of the worst kind. They told the people 
14 



158 THE BOOK OF 

that if he was suffered to live, and teach his doc- 
trines, their country would be ruined, for " the 
Romans would come and take away both their 
place and nation." By this, and such like means, 
the Lord of life and glory was denounced, the 
multitude was set against him, their vision was ob- 
scured, and they cried out, " Away with him, let 
him be crucified.'' 

When Paul declared at Ephesus, that " they be 
no gods which are made by men's hands," Deme- 
trius and his fellow-craftsmen filled the whole city 
with confusion, on account of their craft being in 
danger. They made silver shrines, or models of 
the temple of Diana, where that goddess was wor- 
shipped at Ephesus, and by it they obtained great 
wealth. Demetrius and his fellows plainly saw that 
if the Apostles were permitted to go on thus preach- 
ing, the worship of Diana itself would be destroyed, 
and consequently all hope of their gain would be 
lost. 

It appears that it was self-interest, more than the 
worship of Diana, which caused the opposition to 
Paul at Ephesus. The cry of " great is Diana of 
the Ephesians" was used as a covert to drive Paul 
from the city. When more than forty of the Jews 
had banded together, and put themselves under an 
oath, that they would neither eat or drink until 
they had killed him, they concealed their purposes. 
Their murderous design seemed well planned, but 
it failed of its accomplishment only by the special 
interposition of Divine Providence. 



SIMILITUDES. 159 

The object of the great enemy of mankind is to 
introduce sin, in some form or other, into the world. 
In order to effect his purpose he conceals his move- 
ments from his unsuspecting victims. He can even 
transform himself into an angel of light. As in the 
temptation in the garden of Eden, he promises some 
good to those who will follow his suggestions, 
first institutions designed by the Almighty for the 

Does Satan wish to destroy an institution which 
the Savior of the world once honored with his 
presence. He approaches his victims speaking 
most affectionately of mutual love. "Is not 
God himself declared to be Love ? How holy 
then is the passion ! You are all one in Christ 
Jesus." How elevated and ennobling the thought ! 
By and by the tempter suggests, " If all are one, 
what one possesses is equally the property of all — 
what is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine. 
If you have any thing that I want more than what 
you do, can I not take it — even the wife of your 
bosom, is she not mine also ? We are freed from 
the yoke of the law, and we are so perfected in love 
that we cannot sin." 

Reasonings like these may arise and blind the 
soul to approaching foes. These mists of error con- 
ceal the advance of a deadly enemy. They may 
even be made to appear like the clouds of incense 
which arose in the holy temple. But we may be 
assured that in whatever form such reasonings ap- 
pear, they are but smoke-balls cast from the infernal 
pit, in order to deceive and ruin the soul. 



100 



THE BOOK OP 




, t t ~a r%n«tm. Rev in. 19. Ye hav e seen the end 
a ILIZV*. U0Ve . tefdef^i Barnes fu. T*e angel of his presence 
°s f aZa than. Isa- l^iii. 9. 

CROSS-PROVIDENCES. 

Behold ! before the weary traveler's eyes, 
A palace with is beauteous walls arise ; 
wFth ioy he seems to see his journey end, 
Reaves beneath its roof the night to spend, 
He presses on, when sudden in Ins way, 
A form angelic bids his footsteps stay ; 
He sees the glittering sword the pathway guard 
f en oans, perchance with tears, his fortune hard , 
The ■ eulf with depth unknown, he sees it not, 
STess and mercy thus his footsteps stop ; 
S Mercy's form across his pathway moves, 
Ind this cross-providence salvation proves. 



SIMILITUDES. 161 

The traveler, somewhat wearied by his journey, 
has come in sight of a beautiful palace where he 
hopes to repose, as he understands travelers can 
be accommodated here with little or no expense. 
Comforting himself with this prospect, he presses 
forward, till he is suddenly stopped by one whom 
he supposes to be an evil angel sent by the prince 
of darkness, who delights in the torment and mis- 
ery of mankind. His supposed enemy frowns upon 
him, stands across his pathway, sword in hand, 
completely preventing his further progress in that 
direction. 

The traveler thinks that he is hardly dealt with ; 
perhaps murmurs and complains that all his bright 
prospects are destroyed, and is ready to say " all 
these things are against me." Blind mortal ! he 
does not know that just before him is an awful and 
yawning gulf, where many have fallen to rise no 
more. Had he been left to pursue the way to the 
mansion where he expected so much happiness, he 
also would have perished like others before him. m 

"We can, doubtless, recollect in our experience, 
that we have been almost imperceptibly turned 
from a course which we have laid out for ourselves. 

It is quite possible that ministering angels have, 
by means unobserved, been silently influencing our 
minds to pursue the right course. Or, if such gentle 
means have failed to turn us from the path we are 
pursuing, violence has been used, and we have been 
forced to stop in our course. Something which 
we call a great misfortune, or cross-providence, has 



162 THE BOOK OP 

befallen us, and we were tempted to murmur and 
repine at the troubles which befell us. But have 
we not, many times, had cause to rejoice that these 
afflictive dispensations have been mercies in dis- 
guise ? For by them, greater misfortunes, or per- 
haps our entire ruin has been prevented. 

" Affliction," says one, " are God's most effectual 
means to keep us from losing our way to our heav- 
enly rest." Without this hedge of thorns on the 
right hand and on the left, we should hardly keep 
the way to heaven. If there be but one gap open, 
how ready are we to find it and turn out at it ? 
When we grow wanton or proud, how doth sick- 
ness or other affliction reduce us ? Every Christian, 
as well as Luther, may well call affliction one of his 
best school-masters ; and, with David, may say, 
" before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have 
I kept thy word." 

Whenever the Almighty sends an adverse dis- 
pensation, or by cross-providences our path seems 
crossed or stopped up, it may be presumed to be 
with this message, " Go draw that sinner, or that 
Christian, from the love of the world : go take away 
that comfort — he is going to make an idol of it — 
go stop his pathway in that direction, for certain 
destruction awaits him if he proceeds further." 

The reasonableness of present afflictions will ap- 
pear, that by means of them we are induced to seek 
our true rest — that they keep us from mistaking it, 
and from losing our way to it — that our peace is 
quickened towards it, and although for the present 



SIMILITUDES. 163 

they are not joyous, but grievous, yet afterward* 
they yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness. 
Many of those who have stood high in the favor of 
God have been exercised with sharp afflictions. 
Moses, whom God honored with the most conde- 
scending and familiar discoveries of himself, was 
tried by long afflictions. David, a man after God's 
own heart, was for a long time hurled to and fro 
by tempestuous persecutions from his unjust and 
implacable enemies. Isaiah, who was dignified with 
such heavenly visions that his description of the 
sufferings of Christ seems rather the history of »n 
evangelist, than the vision of a prophet, was (it is 
asserted) sawn asunder. 

Providence is defined to be the superintendence 
and care which God exercises over creation. It has, 
by some writers, been divided into immediate and 
mediate, ordinary and extraordinary, common and 
special, universal and particular. Immediate pro- 
vidence, is that which is exercised by God himself, 
without the use of any instrument or second cause. 
Mediate providence is what is exercised in the use 
of means, and by the chain of second causes. Ex- 
traordinary is what is out of the common way, as 
miraculous operations. Common providence is 
what belongs to the whole world. Special, what 
relates to the church. Universal relates to the 
general upholding and preserving all things. Par- 
ticular ', relates to individuals in every action and 
circumstance. 

With regard to particular providence, which is 



164 THE BOOK OP 

denied by some, a good writer observes : " The 
opinion entertained by some that the providence of 
God extends no farther than to a general superin- 
tendence of the laws of nature, without interposing 
in the particular concerns of individuals, is contrary 
both to reason and scripture. It renders the gov- 
ernment of the Almighty altogether loose and con- 
tingent, and would leave no ground for reposing 
any trust under its protection ; for the majority of 
human affairs would then be allowed to fluctuate 
in a fortuitous course, without moving in any regu- 
lar direction, and without tending to any one 
scope." 

" The uniform doctrine of the sacred writings is, 
that throughout the universe nothing happens 
without God — that his hand is ever active, and 
that his decree, or permission, intervenes in all; 
that nothing is too great or unwieldy for his man- 
agement ; and nothing so minute and inconsider- 
able as to be below his inspection and care. While 
he is guiding the sun and moon in their course 
through the heavens ; while in this inferior world 
he is ruling among empires, stilling the raging of 
the water, and the tumults of the people, he is, at 
the same time, watching over the humble, good 
man, who, in the obscurity of his cottage, is serv- 
ing and worshiping him." 

In what manner Providence influences and di- 
rects the thoughts and councils of men, and still 
leaves them to the freedom of their choice, is a sub- 
ject of dark and mysterious nature, and which has 



SIMILITUDES. 165 

given rise to many an intricate controversy. It is 
clear from the testimony from scripture, that God 
takes part in all that happens among mankind : di- 
recting and overruling the whole course of events, 
so as to make every one of them answer the designs 
of his wise and righteous government. It is upon 
the supposition of a particular providence that our 
worship and prayers to him are founded. All his 
perfections would be utterly insignificant to us, if 
they were not exercised on every occasion, accord- 
ing to the circumstances of his creatures. 

In how many instances have we found that we 
are held in subjection to a higher power, on whom 
depends the accomplishment of our wishes and de- 
signs ? Fondly we have projected some favorite 
plan; we thought we had provided for all that 
might happen ; but lo ! some little event has come 
about, unseen by us, and its consequences, at the 
first seemingly inconsiderable, which yet hath turn- 
ed the whole course of things into a new direction, 
and blasted all our hopes. At other times our 
councils and plans have been permitted to succeed ; 
we then applauded our own wisdom, and sat down 
to feast on the happiness we had attained. To our 
surprise, happiness was not there, and that God's 
decree had appointed it to be only vanity. 

From the imperfection of our knowledge to as- 
certain what is good for us, and from the defect in 
our power to bring about that good when known, 
arise all those disappointments which continually 
testify that the way of man is not in himself; and 



166 THE BOOK OF 

that, though he may devise, it is God who directs. 
Accident, and chance, and fortune, are words often 
mentioned, and much is ascribed to them in the life 
of man. But they are words without meaning ; or, 
as far as they have any signification, they are no 
other than names for the unknown operations of 
Providence. 

That chaos of human affairs, where we can see 
no light, that mass of disorder and confusion which 
they often present to our view, is all clearness and 
order in the sight of Him who brings forward every 
event in its due time and place. Whatever may 
happen to the true Christian, and whatever cross- 
providences may close up the path he is pursuing, 
he may feel assured that it is done in kindness to 
save him from evils of which at present he has no 
conception. 



Ye fearful saints fresh courage take : 
The clouds ye so much dread, 

Are big with mercy, and shall break 
In blessings on your head. 

His purposes will ripen fast, 

Unfolding every hour : 
The bud may have a bitter taste, 

But sweet will be the flower. 



SIMILITUDES 



167 




For if they shall fall, the one shall lift up his fellow. Eccl. iv. 10. Look 
not every man on his own things, but every man on the things of others. 
PhiLii.4. 



MUTUAL DEPENDENCE. 

When up the Alps the party would ascend, 

Then each on each, for help and strength depend; 

Close linked by cords, which each and all have bound, 

They venture safely o'er the dangerous ground ; 

If one should slip, the cord that holds him fast 

Sustains till help arrives, and danger's past. 

Thus, as we walk on life's rude paths, we learn 

That friend to friend, for help and cheer must turn ; 

Affection's cords in ties of union blend, 

That link them closely to their journey's end. 



168 THE BOOK OF 

The engraving shows a number of travelers who 
are ascending Mont Blanc, a portion of the Alps, 
in Switzerland, and is sometimes called the giant of 
the Swiss mountains. It is extremely difficult and 
dangerous to ascend its summit, being in many 
places broken into icy peaks, separated into chasma 
of frightful depths. Some of these are concealed 
by mere crusts of snow, over which travelers are 
obliged to pass. There are, also, extremely narrow 
ridges, slanting and abrupt declivities, where a false 
step would precipitate the passenger a mangled 
corpse to the depths below. 

In order to prevent themselves from sliding, or 
falling to certain destruction, the travelers on the 
perilous passage furnish themselves with a long 
pole, or strong cord, which each one grasps firmly, 
or ties himself strongly. Should any one make a 
false step, and slip, the rope to which he clings will 
save him, being held firmly by his companions. 
Should he sink through the snow into some hidden 
chasm, his being attached to the rope will save 
him, though he may for a time be suspended dang- 
ling over destruction. 

This representation is a good emblem to show 
the advantage of being connected with our fellow 
beings by some bond of union. In our pilgrimage, 
we oftentimes need to be sustained by our brethren. 
A man who walks by himself, is liable to many 
dangers from which he would be protected, if his 
companions were with him. Should he stumble, 
and break his limbs by falling into a pit, which 



SIMILITUDES. 169 

would prevent his effort to rise, how lamentable 
his condition — he will starve and die, unheeded by 
his fellow-men, because he had no companions in 
the hour of his misfortune. 

It is not always the strongest, physically or spirit- 
ually, who seem or claim to be the strongest, and 
no man is so robust and vigorous as to be abso- 
lutely independent of his fellow-man. Hence the 
advantages and necessity of Christian fellowship 
and communion ; whereby watch and care are ex- 
tended over brethren and sisters in the Lord, by 
kindred spirits. " Two," in the words of Solomon, 
" are better than one ; for if one shall fall, the other 
shall lift up his fellow ; but wo to him who is alone 
when he falleth, for he has none to lift him up." 

The high importance of having companions with 
us in the hour of trial, is also well illustrated by an 
adventure of a company of botanists, who, in their 
explorations, encountered a terrific snow-storm on 
the island of Terra del Fuego. One of the party, 
Dr. Solander, aware of the power of extreme cold to 
produce sleep, and that death would ensue to the 
person overcome by this power, who should yield 
to it and lie down, urged all his companions, by no 
means through lassitude to stop, but to keep mov- 
ing. " Whoever," he told the party, " sits down, 
will sleep, and whoever sleeps, will die." 

The companions of Dr. Solander heeded his 

counsel, and it was well for him who gave it, for 

by it he himself was saved. Notwitstanding the 

doctor's timely and judicious warning, he was the 

15 



170 THE BOOK OF 

first whose senses were stupefied, and who sunk 
upon the ground. Death was at hand. His com- 
panions followed the direction of their teacher ; by- 
force they roused him from his lethargy, would not 
suffer him to sit down, but kept him moving till 
they conducted him to a place of safety. 

In civil affairs, it is quite necessary to have some 
bond of union to the several members of a confed- 
eracy, in order to its well being. Where there is 
no bond of feeling, or sympathy, with each other, 
they are peculiarly exposed to the attacks of insid- 
ious enemies. They wish to bring the whole con- 
federacy under their control, and this they can 
easily accomplish, if they can attack or subvert 
them in detail. In order to maintain their inde- 
pendence as a confederacy, and also their individual 
safety, it is necessary that each member feel their 
mutual dependence on each other's exertions for 
their own and the general good. 

There are many things in our social system which, 
at the first thought, may seem to be rather useless, 
which we shall find, upon examination, to be neces- 
sary for the well-being of the whole. The Apostle, 
in his letter to his Corinthian brethren, in compar- 
ing the members of the church with the members 
of the human body, argues, that as all of them are 
dependent upon each other, so all the members of 
the Christian church, with their varied talents and 
occupations, and even those which are lightly es- 
teemed, are necessary for the perfection of the 
whole. 



SIMILITUDES. 1*71 

The celebrated apologue, or fable, of Menenius 
Agrippa, the Roman consul and general, may serve 
to illustrate the subject of mutual dependence. 
The Roman people were led into a state of insur- 
rection against their rulers, under the pretext that 
they not only had all the honors, but all the emolu- 
ments of the nation ; while they were obliged to 
bear all the burdens, and suffer all the privations. 
Matters were at last brought to such an issue that 
their rulers were obliged to flee. Anarchy now 
prevailed, the public peace was broken, and ruin 
seemed impending. The consul and general being 
high in the esteem of the insurgents, was sent to 
quiet these disturbances. Having assembled the 
disorderly multitude, he addressed them in the fol- 
lowing manner: 

" In that time in which the different parts of the 
human body were not in such a state of unity as 
they now are, but each member had its separate 
office and distinct language, they all became dis- 
contented, because whatever was procured by their 
care, labor and industry, was spent on the stomach 
and intestines ; while they lying at ease in the 
midst of the body, did nothing but enjoy whatever 
was provided for them. 

They therefore conspired among themselves, and 
agreed that the hands should not convey food 
to the mouth ; that the mouth should not receive 
what was offered to it ; and that the teeth should 
not masticate whatever was brought to the mouth. 
Acting on this principle of revenge, and hoping to 



172 THE BOOK OF 

reduce the stomach by famine, all the members, and 
the whole body itself, were at length brought into 
the last stage of consumption. It then plainly ap- 
peared that the stomach itself did no small service ; 
that it contributed not less to their nourishment, 
than they did to its support ; distributing to every 
part that from which they derived life and vigor ; 
for, by concocting the food, the pure blood derived 
from it, was conveyed by the arteries to every 
member." 

It is easy to discern how the consul applied this 
fable. The sensible similitude produced the de- 
sired effect. The people were convinced that it 
required the strictest union, and mutual support of 
high and low to preserve the body politic — that if 
the members of a community refuse the government 
that necessary aid which its necessities require, they 
must all perish together. 



Move, and actuate, and guide ; 
Divers gifts to each divide ; 
Placed according to thy -will, 
Let us all our work fulfill ; 
Never from our office move ; 
Needful to each, other prove. 



SIMIDITUDES 



173 




An hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest. Isa. xxxii. 
2. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress . . my buckler . . and my 
high tower. Ps. xviii. 2. 

THE ROCK OF REFUGE. 

When the lone traveler, journeying on his way, 

Through desert wilds, in torrid lands will stray ; 

"When sudden storms and hurricanes arise, 

And raging tempests darken all the skies, 

Quick to a place of refuge he must flee ; 

No human habitation can he see, 

And soon no shelter would it be, if found ; 

The furious winds will level to the ground. 

He may not seek a shelter near the oak, 

Its sturdy trunk is broken by the stroke ; 

Nearer and nearer howls the angry blast, 

Still bringing rain, as it rushes past, 

But the great rock, against the storm is sure, 

He hastens to its clefts, and stands secure. 



174 THE BOOK OF 

The traveler, when passing through certain coun- 
tries subject to hurricanes and tempests, must, when 
these arise, in order to escape from their fury, have 
some place of refuge to flee to, and hide himself 
from the sweeping storm. The observer sees in the 
distance unmistakeable tokens of the angry tempest 
approaching. The clouds, lowering, move rapidly 
onward ; the lightnings flash, the wind roars, the 
thunder growls near, and still nearer. The traveler 
is affrighted, he looks around for a covert, or place 
of refuge. He may be tempted to flee to some 
human structure, but the tempest, which is ap- 
proaching, will sweep away every thing construct- 
ed by the skill or power of man, and all who take 
refuge therein will perish in its ruins. 

He may, perhaps, place confidence in the sturdy 
oak, which strikes its roots deep into the earth ; he 
may clasp it round, and, facing the wild commotion, 
think to escape its fury ; but all in vain, the mon- 
arch of the forest will be laid prostrate ; its strong 
cords which bound it to the earth will be broken, 
and all who placed confidence in it will perish be- 
neath its crushed branches. 

Nothing can withstand the fury of the winds but 
the solid rock. The wise traveler discovers this, 
and flees to it for a shelter. Within its clefts he 
feels secure, though storms and tempests rage with- 
out ; his hiding-place is in the everlasting hills, 
which cannot be moved. This is a striking simili- 
tude of the safety of those who trust in Christ, as 
the Rock of their salvation. The Scriptures repre- 



SIMILITUDES. 175 

sent that there is a storm of indignation coming, 
which will sweep into perdition the whole race of 
ungodly men. The wicked are warned of their 
danger — the clouds in the distance are gathering 
blackness — they are told that nothing will save 
them but fleeing to the Rock. A vast number will 
not heed the warning, will not so much as turn 
their eyes to the heavens to ascertain the truth of 
what they hear ; they continue, it may be, with 
their eyes fixed upon the ground, in gathering the 
little pebbles and straws which lie before them, till 
overwhelmed by the storm. Others make some- 
thing else than the Rock their trust, but miserably 
perish in the time of trial, while those who heed 
the warning flee to the Rock whose foundations are 
of old, hide themselves in its clefts, and are eter- 
nally safe. 

Rock of Ages ! cleft for me, 

Let me hide myself in thee ; 

Let the water and the blood, 

From thy side, a healing flood, 

Be of sin the double cure, 

Save from wrath, and make me pure. 

Should my tears forever flow, 
Should my zeal no languor know, 
This for sin could not atone, 
Thou must save, and thou alone ; 
In my hand no price I bring, 
Simply to thy cross I cling. 

"While I draw this fleeting breath, 
"When mine eyelids close in death, 
When I rise to worlds unknown, 
And behold thee on thythrone, 
Rock of Ages ! cleft for me, 
Let me hide myself in thee. 



1^6 THE BOOK OF 

" When the Spirit of Truth makes inquisition for 
sin," says a religious writer, " guilt is then felt, 
because man beholds himself a child of wrath by 
nature, and a condemned criminal by means of his 
practice. In this salutary, but unhappy stage of 
things, he often looks behind, and every glance dis- 
covers blacker darkness, and nearer approaching 
storms." He looks around him, he sees no place 
of shelter in which he can confide. It is a time of 
trouble and dismay. What an unspeakable com- 
fort to discpver the Rock of Ages, to which he can 
flee for safety, and in its recesses hide himself from 
the sweeping tempest — to find Jesus Christ, the 
Savior of sinners, " a hiding-place from the storm, 
and covert from the tempest." Safe in him, the 
thunders of the broken law may echo forth all their 
condemnation. Safe in him, the sword of vengeance 
and of justice, like the fluid stream, may blaze on 
every side, yet the soul can rest secure. 

The firm and lofty rock, is used in various parts 
of the Scriptures as an emblem of certain refuge, 
safety, defence, and happiness. When the sun 
pours down his fervid heat upon the great desert, 
and the traveler is fainting amid its burning sands, 
what more refreshing than to repose beneath the 
" shadow of a Great Rook in a weary land." 



" Fly to the Roclc /" is often a necessary direc- 
tion to those who venture among the sands along 
the rocky sea-shore. The traveler who is pursuing 
his path-way along on the iron-bound shore, find- 



SIMILITUDES. 177 

ing it painful to his feet, ventures on the smooth 
sands below. The tide is out, the sea is calm, the 
waves are a long way off; he thinks there can be 
no danger, so he walks on. Presently the wind be- 
gins to rise, still he thinks there can be no danger, 
it is only rounding that jutting cliff, there is plenty 
of time, and then he will be safe. Meanwhile the 
sea conies gradually on ; wave after wave, like so 
many horsemen in battle array, riding one after 
the other. Every moment they advance a step or 
two; and before the man has got to the jutting 
cliff he sees them dashing against its feet. What 
is he to do ? On one side is a steep and rugged 
ledge of rocks ; on the other side, the sea, which 
the wind is lashing into a storm, and is rushing to- 
wards him in foaming fury. 

Would a man in such a plight think of losing 
another moment ? Would he stop to consider 
whether he should not hurt his hands by laying 
hold of the sharp stones ? Would he not strain 
every nerve to reach a place of safety, before the 
waves would overtake him? If his slothfulness 
whispered to him " It is of no use, the ledge is very 
steep ; you may fall back when you have got half 
way ; stay where you are, perhaps the winds may 
lull, and the waves may stop short, and so you will 
be safe here." If his slothfulness prompted such 
thoughts as these, would he listen to them ? Would 
he not reply, " Hard as the task may be, it must 
be triad, or I am a dead man. God will not work 
a miracle in my behalf — he will not change the 



178 THE BOOK OF 

course of tides, to save me from the effects of my 
own laziness. I have a few minutes left — let me 
make the most of them." 

This scene is not one of mere fancy. Many ac- 
counts are given of the risk which has been run by 
neglecting to nee from a rising tide. Some, by 
great efforts, aided by God's providence, have 
escaped a watery grave. Others have been over- 
whelmed, and have perished amid the mighty 
waters. The man who is about to be overtaken 
by the flowing tide, is a similitude of the sinner 
away from Christ, the Rock of Salvation. On one 
side of him is the steep ledge of Repentance ; on 
the other, the waves of the bottomless pit are every 
moment rolling towards him, and even beginning 
to surround his pathway. Is this a situation for 
a man to stop in ? Will any one in such a situation 
talk about the difficulty of repentance ? If wise, 
he will not, but will put forth all his efforts to ascend 
the cliff, which, if he ascends, all will be well ; for 
his feet are placed upon a firm foundation, against 
which the angry waves may dash in vain. 

Whatever we do for our salvation, ought to be 
done in time, and with all our might. We ought 
not to defer it until we are encompassed with the 
waves of death. Repent now, therefore, in time j 
flee to the Rock of Refuge, for now is the day of 
salvation. 



SIMILITUDES 



179 




=?W3*fe^v^^- 



The way of a fool is right in his own eyes. Prov. xii. 15. Professing 
themselves to be wise, they became fools. Rom. i. 22. Without understand 
ing. Rom. i. 31. 

IGNORANCE AND FALSE PHILOSOPHY. 

Mistaken fool, who with the candle's light, 
Would view the dial's figures in the night ; 
He seems to know not that the sun's bright ray, 
Must cast the shade that marks the hour of day. 
Another proof of ignorance is plain, 
The boy who would the shining moon obtain ; 
He sees the glittering object in the skies, 
And all in vain to grasp the treasure tries ; 
The barking dog, with human sense unblest, 
Seems here to share the folly of the rest. 
Near by, a structure, more for show than use, 
Essays perpetual motion to produce; 
Mistaken all, their ignorance is plain, 
For false philosophy must toil in vain. 



180 THE BOOK OF 

The cut represents a person claiming to be a 
philosopher, who is endeavoring to ascertain the 
time of night by a sun-dial. He understands that 
the true time is ascertained by the shade which is 
cast on certain figures from the upright part of the 
dial. This is perfectly true, but this shade is only 
cast when the sun is shining bright and clear — 
moon-light or candle-light is of no avail, it is worse 
than none, as it will mislead all who trust in it. 
Of this all-essential fact this philosopher appears to 
be in profound ignorance — he even holds up a 
candle to assist him in his investigations. 

On the right of the engraving is seen an ignorant 
boy crying out for the moon, which looks so bright, 
that he is quite captivated by its a]3pearance, and 
he thinks he can almost reach it with the rod he 
has in his hand. The dog that is near him, is also 
attracted by its bright appearance ; perhaps he 
thinks it is a stranger who is approaching him, he 
therefore gives a bark of defiance. On the left, 
near the sun-dial, is an aj^paratus for producing 
perpetual motion — the great desideratum among 
inventors. Our philosopher has spent considerable 
time over it, and feels confident that he has nearly, 
if not quite, accomplished his object. 

In order to ascertain what is truth, respecting 
the progress of time, it is necessary that we have 
the light of the sun, as we cannot place any depend- 
ence on any inferior luminary. No confidence can 
be placed in the light of the moon, although bor- 
rowing what light it has, from the sun. In a reli- 



SIMILITUDES. 181 

gious sense, would we gain a knowledge of the 
truth, we must have light from the Father of Light, 
the great moral Sun of the universe. Do we trust 
in the light of our own understanding merely ? we 
make ourselves fools, like unto the philosopher 
represented with a candle in his hand, standing over 
a sun-dial. And if we expect to derive any valu- 
able, or saving knowledge, except from the Great 
Light above the center of the universe, we show 
our ignorance and folly, as much as the boy who 
expects to reach, by his puny efforts, one of the 
luminous objects in the heavens. 

In all our investigations in search of truth, we 
must do it in the light of certain great principles, 
or facts. We must believe in a God who overrules 
and superintends all things ; that he is a holy, just, 
and good being, who will punish the wicked, and 
reward the righteous. We must have an entire 
faith in the Revelation which he has given us in his 
Word — what it teaches concerning the attributes 
or character of God, or that of ourselves, we must 
believe, however opposed to our previous notions, 
or conclusions. Those nations who have never 
known the divine Scriptures, or rejected the light 
of Christianity, have become vain or foolish, in 
their imaginations or reasonings. 

Speaking of the wisest of the ancient philoso- 
phers, not even excepting Socrates, Plato or Sen-eca, 
" Who," says an eminent commentator, " can read 
their works without being struck with the vanity 
of their reasoning, as well as with the stupidity of 



182 THE BOOK OF 

their nonsense, when speaking of God ? * * In 
short, " professing themselves to be wise, they be- 
came fools," — they sought God in the place in which 
he is never to be found, viz. : the corrupting passions 
of their own hearts. * * A dispassionate exami- 
nation of the doctrines and lives of the most famed 
philosophers of antiquity, will show that they 
were darkened in their mind, and irregular in their 
conduct. It was from the Christian religion alone 
that true philosophers sprung." 

It is true that many of the heathen nations ac- 
knowledged the great truth that there is a su- 
preme being ; but viewing him in the light of their 
own understanding, they, by their false philosophy, 
brought themselves to believe that he was a being 
like unto themselves. The finest representation 
of their deities, (for they had many,) was in the 
human figure ; and on such representative figures 
the sculptors spent all their skill ; hence the Her- 
cules of Farnese, the Venus of Medicis, and the 
Apollo of Belmdere. And when they had formed 
their gods according to the human shape, they en- 
dowed them with human passions; and as they 
clothed them with extraordinary strength, beauty, 
wisdom, &c, not having the true principles of mo- 
rality, they represented them as slaves to the most 
disorderly passions, excelling in irregularities the 
most profligate of men, as possessing unlimited 
powers of sensual gratification. * * How men 
of such powers and learning, as many of the Greek 
and Roman philosojmers and poets really were, 



SIMILITUDES. 183 

could reason so inconsecutively, is truly astonish- 

kg." 

Previous to the Christian era, and even now 
where the light of Christianity does not shine, al- 
most every trace of original righteousness has been 
obliterated. So completely lost were the heathen 
to a knowledge of the influence of God upon the 
soul, and the necessity of that influence, they, ac- 
cording to their false philosophy, asserted in the 
most pathetic manner, that man was the author of 
his own virtue and wisdom. Thus Cicero, the Ro- 
man orator, declares it to be a general opinion, 
that although mankind receive from the gods the 
outward conveniences of life — " but virtue, none 
ever thought they had received from the Deity," 
and again, " this is the persuasion of all, that for- 
tune is to be had from the gods — wisdom from our- 
selves." And again, " who ever thanked the gods 
for his being a good man ? Men pray to Jupiter, 
not that he would make them just, temperate and 
wise, but rich and prosperous." 

The consequences of adopting as truth, other 
systems than that which is derived from the light 
that cometh from above, is forcibly described by 
Paul in the 1st chapter of Romans, "A vain, or 
false philosophy, without right principle or end, 
was substituted for those diverse truths which had 
been discovered originally to man. Their hearts 
had been contaminated by every vice that could 
blind the understanding, pervert the judgment, cor- 
rupt the will, and debase the affections and passions. 



184 THE BOOK OP 

This was proved in the most unequivocal manner 
by a profligacy of conduct which had debased them 
far, far below the beasts that perish." The apostle 
here gives a list of their crimes, every article of 
which can be incontrovertibly proved from their 
own history, and their own writers — crimes which, 
even bad as the world is now, would shock com- 
mon decency to describe. 

In more modern times, several systems have been 
introduced into the world for the improvement of 
the human race, by gathering them into communi- 
ties, fixing several fixed rules of government, &c, 
which, could they be fully adopted, and followed, 
it would seem quite possible that they might suc- 
ceed. But by rejecting the prominent truth, that 
man is naturally a depraved creature, and discarding 
a Divine Revelation, the only light by which truth 
is discovered, almost without an exception, every 
one of these attempts have proved miserable fail- 
ures. The founders of these systems are like the 
philosopher who attempts to find out the true time 
by the light of the moon, or the attempt of the boy 
with his rod to reach that luminary, or like the in- 
ventor who constructs a machine for perpetual mo- 
tion, expecting that it will move continually by its 
own unaided force. 



SIMILITUDES. 



185 



J&ZS& 




Canst thou, by searching, find out God ? Job xi. 7. Which is, and which 
was, and which is to come. Rev. i. 8. O the depth . . of the wisdom of 
God, how unsearchable his judgments, and his ways past finding out. Rom. 
xi. 33. 

THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE. 

In vain the sages, with their utmost skill, 
Would find out God— he is a mystery still ! 
In vain they search the page of ancient lore, 
In vain the scrolls of centuries past explore. 
The mystic circle and triangle see, 
The types that shadow forth Infinity — 
The circle, endless as eternty, 
And the triaugle, showing one in three. 
Without beginning, past their finding out ; 
In vain they seek to solve perplexing doubt : 
Wearied with search, at last one looks above, 
When lo ! a ray of heavenly truth and love 



186 THE BOOK OF 

Steals softly downward to his darkened mind, 
Seeming to say, all earthly light is blind : 
Leave then the paths of human search untrod, 
Content to know and feel the love of God. 

The engraving is intended to represent the phi- 
losophers of various ages, closely engaged in por- 
ing over the manuscripts and books which contain 
the records of human thought, ancient and modern, 
upon the being and attributes of God. The systems 
of Pythagoras, Plato, Zeno, and other ancient 
philosophers, are being examined, also the various 
systems of more modern times. Above the group 
are seen the emblems of that being of whose nature 
they are so earnestly searching out. A circle is 
represented, showing that he is without beginning ; 
a triangle is also seen, showing three in one, and 
one of three. 

Among the philosophers represented, one has 
come to a stand ; he appears to have been almost 
wearied out in his searchings, and has laid aside his 
manuscripts and books. He is convinced that all 
human theories are utterly incompetent to describe 
the being and the attributes of God. Despairing 
of all human help, he looks upward, as if to implore 
assistance from the Divine Being. In answer to 
humble prayer, beams of light and glory descend 
from above. He believes — his soul is filled — he 
loves and adores ! but he comprehends not ! 

Without beginning ! O how incomprehensible, 
how overwhelming the thought ! Reason is amazed, 
bewildered, but she is forced to believe. Else why 
are we here ; some being must have made us, and 



SIMILITUDES. 187 

all that we see, or hear ; and he that made us must 
himself be unmade — he that is unmade must be 
eternal, or without beginning ; and that which is 
before all things, and without beginning, is the in- 
comprehensible God. 

The great and glorious Being, whom we call God, 
must be eternal. There must have been a time when 
he existed alone, and there was never a time when 
he did not exist. As God has existed eternally in 
the past, so he will exist in the eternity to come. 
" No possible reason," says one, " can be given why 
he should cease to be. There is no greater Being 
upon whom he is dependent for existence, or who 
could take it away ; and in his nature, or essence, 
there is no principle of decay. The eternity of God 
comprehending the past, as well as the future, is 
thus expressed by the inspired writer: "Before the 
mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst 
formed the earth and the world, even from ever- 
lasting to everlasting thou art God." 

Although angels and human spirits may exist in 
the eternity to come, yet there is an important dif- 
ference in the nature of their existence, from that 
of the Deity. They are not necessarily immortal, 
and there is no contradiction or absurdity in sup- 
posing them to be annihilated, or struck out of 
existence. There was a time when they were not, 
" and all that can be said of them is," says a celebra- 
ted writer, " that having begun, they shall never 
cease to exist. Their life will flow on without in- 
termission, and they will ever continue in a pro- 



188 THE BOOK OF 

gressive state. Their continuance in life is the re- 
sult of the will of their Creator ; and besides, if we 
may so speak, they have only a half an eternity al- 
lotted to them as their portion, the half which is to 
come, while eternal ages had passed away before 
they were called out of nothing." 

The existence of God is not like that of his crea- 
tures, progressive, but comprehends what we call 
the past, the present, and the future. These are 
the divisions of time ; but the first and the last have 
no place in the duration of the Supreme Being. 
The Revelation given us in the Bible, confirms the 
natural dictates of our reason, in the accounts which 
it gives us of the existence of God — where it tells 
us, that he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for- 
ever — that he is the Alpha and the Omega, the 
Beginning and the Ending — that a thousand years 
with him are as one day, and one day as a thousand 
years. By expressions like these, we are taught 
that the existence of God, as to time and duration, 
is totally different from that of his creatures, which 
fact makes it incomprehensible to any created being. 

In a being who had no beginning, succession or 
progression is impossible. We can conceive a fu- 
ture infinite succession, or line continually extend- 
ing ; but we cannot conceive a past infinite succes- 
sion, or a time which had not a beginning. " What- 
ever difficulty we may have in annexing an idea to 
our words," says Dr. Dick, " we must pronounce 
the eternity of God to be stationary, and not like 
ours, in motion." It may be objected, that there 



SIMILITUDES. 189 

is in the Scriptures expressions by which his eternity- 
is described by differences in time, particularly that 
which describes him as one, " who was, and is, and 
is to come.'' But it may be answered, that human 
language is imperfect, and that there are no words 
which can properly express the stable nature of his 
eternity, and when we speak of it, we are under 
the necessity of using words in common use, found- 
ed on the divisions of time. From this cause also, 
when we speak of the other perfections of God, we 
have to use terms which attribute corporeal mem- 
bers, and human affections to the Deity ; thus, the 
eye of the Lord is over all works, his hand is 
stretched out, he is angry with the wicked, &c. 

With regard to space — the creation of God — 
what is its extent ? Where is its beginning, or 
ending ? These questions force themselves upon 
us — we are bewildered — they are incomprehensible 
as Deity itself. " Where," says a celebrated writer, 
" is the region in which God may not be found ? Go 
to the most dismal spot upon the globe — to a spot, 
if such there be, where no plant grows, where no 
creature breathes — in this lone solitude, you shall 
find Him in the eternal snow which covers it, in the 
rocks which rear their dark pinnacles to the sky, 
and in the waves which beat upon its desolate 
shores !" Go into the wilderness, where no human 
foot has trod, and you shall see Him in every thing 
which lives ; the bird that sings among the branches, 
the waving grass, and beauteous flowers, all live, 
move, and have their being, in Him ! Look up to 



190 THE BOOK OF 

the heavens ! behold the shining stars, who can 
number them ? who lit up the fires with which they 
glow ? who guides them in their course, but the 
same being whose center is every where, and whose 
circumference is no where ? " 

Who, by searching, can find out God— who can 
find out the Almighty to perfection ? We feel as- 
sured that he possesses certain attributes which we 
designate by names by which we distinguish cer- 
tain excellencies among men. We ascribe to him 
every idea of virtue, and spiritual beauty exalted 
to infinite perfection. " But how," says another 
writer, " the Divine Being himself exists in an es- 
sential and eternal nature of his own — how he can 
be present at the same moment every where — how, 
unseen, and unfelt by all, he can maintain the most 
perfect acquaintance and contact with all parts and 
portions of the universe — how he can be at once 
all eye, all ear, all presence, all energy, yet not in- 
terfere with any of the thoughts and actions of his 
creatures — this is what baffles the mightiest and 
the meanest intellect ; this is the great mystery of 
the universe, which is at once one of the most cer- 
tain and incomprehensible of all things — a truth, at 
once enveloped in a flood of light, and an abyss of 
darkness ! Inexplicable itself, it explains all be- 
sides; it casts a clearness on every question, ac- 
counts for every phenomenon, solves every problem, 
illuminates every depth, and renders the whole 
mystery of existence perfectly simple, as it is other- 
wise perfectly intelligible, while itself alone remains 



SIMILITUDES. 191 

in impenetrable obscurity ! After displacing every 
other difficulty, it remains the greatest of all, in 
solitary, insurmountable, unapproachable grandeur ! 
So truly, 'clouds and sunshine are round about 
him. He maketh darkness his secret habitation — 
his pavilion to cover him, thick clouds.' " 

We ascend from effects, to look at the cause of 
them ; from the marks of contrivance and design, 
to the necessary existence of an Almighty Con- 
triver. Bnt what sort of being he is, and what is 
the nature of his contact with his creatures, must, 
in the present state at least, remain an unfathom- 
able mystery. We are utterly at a loss, in all such 
speculations ; yet this affords no diminution of the 
motives of piety. Our belief in the being of a God, 
is the belief of a profound mystery. The very idea 
of such a Being would aj)pear incredible, were it 
not that it is necessary, because the greatest absur- 
dities would flow from supposing the contrary. 
Nothing can be accounted for, unless we admit the 
existence of a causeless Cause — a presiding Gover- 
nor of the universe. We are compelled, therefore, 
to choose the less difficulty of the two ; or rather 
to choose difficulty instead of impossibility, mystery 
instead of absurdity ; and hence we repose on this 
grand truth." 



192 



THE BOOK OF 




Upon this rock 1 will lurid my Church. Matt. xvi. 18. Ye are God's 
building. 1 Cor. iii 9. Which is the Church of the living God, the pillar 
and ground of the Truth. 1 Tim. iii. 15. 

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 

See here the temple, based on Christian love, 
No tempest rage its firm foundations move, 
Sure is the rock, though billows foam around, 
Its sacred dome by endless love is crowned. 
The glorious light above it, brightly shines, 
And'sheds o'er all its influence divine ; _ 
Though storms may come, and angry billows dash 
Around the rock, and threatening lightnings flash, 
It stands upon the Eternal Word secure, 
To last while endless ages shall endure. 



SIMILITUDES. 193 

The Church of God, and even individual Chris- 
tians are compared to a building, or temple. The 
Church is founded on God's truth, represented in 
the engraving by a rock in mid ocean. The Chris- 
tian Church, or Temple, has seven or more pillars, 
on which are inscribed various Christian graces. 
It will be perceived that love is at the foundation ; 
it crowns the temple. The emblems of the Deity 
are seen above all, and a sacred influence descends 
from aboA^e. The temple is surmounted by a cross, 
which is, in a religious sense, the prominent object 
to be set forth in all Christian assemblies. 

Back from the temple, the angry elements are 
in commotion, the lightnings flash, the thunders 
roar, and the billows swell, dash and foam, but the 
rock, and the temple founded upon it, will remain 
secure. So the truth of God, and whatever is 
founded upon it, will stand for ever, though storms 
of opposition, fiery tempests, and dashing billows 
roar around. 

The Christian church is defined to be the " whole 
system of Christianity as laid down in the New 
Testament, and built on the foundation of prophets 
and apostles, Jesus Christ himself being the chief 
corner stone. It is composed of all who hold the 
doctrines of Christianity, who acknowledge Jesus 
as their chief Teacher, and only Advocate ; and of 
all who love God with all their heart, soul, mind, 
and strength, and their neighbor as themselves ; or 
are laboring after this conformity to the mind and 
commands of their Creator. 
11 



194 THE BOOK OF 

It is not known by any particular name, it is not 
distinguished by any particular form in its mode 
of worship ; it is not exclusively here, or there. 
It is the house, or temple of God, it is where God's 
spirit dwells, where his precepts are obeyed, and 
where pure, unadulterated love to God and man 
prevails. It is not in the creed, nor religious con- 
fessions of any denomination of Christians ; for, as 
all who hold the truth and live a holy life, acknowl- 
edging Jesus alone, as the head of the church, and 
Savior of the world, are members of his mystical 
body — and such may be found in all sects and 
parties — so the Church of Christ may be said to be 
everywhere, and to be confined nowhere ; in what- 
ever place Christianity is credited and acknowl- 
edged. The wicked of all sorts, no matter what 
their professions may be, or to what order or de- 
nomination they may belong, they are without the 
pale of the Christian church. 

Seven of the Christian graces, which may be con- 
sidered as pillars in the Christian Temple, or Church, 
are faith, virtue, hope, godliness, knowledge, pa- 
tience and temperance. 

Faith, the first in order, is a prominent pillar, 
and to which all the others are conformed. It is 
sometimes used to designate the whole of the Chris- 
tian system. 

Virtue has been variously defined by commenta- 
tors — by some it is said to be the doing of good to 
mankind, in obedience to the will of God, and for 
the sake of everlasting happiness : others, that it 



SIMILITUDES. 195 

denotes that courage, or fortitude, which enables 
one to profess the Christian faith before men, in all 
times of persecution. 

Hope is one of the strong pillars in the Christian 
temple — when we are in trouble or affliction, the 
hope of happiness and glory hereafter, sustains us 
in our present trials, and relieves us, in a great 
measure, from the dread of those to come. 

Godliness, strictly taken, is right worship or de- 
votion. It is difficult, as one observes, to include 
an adequate idea of it, in what is called a definition. 
" It supposes knowledge, veneration, affection, de- 
pendence, submission, gratitude, and obedience; 
or it may be reduced to these four ideas : knowl- 
edge in the mind, by which it is distinguished from 
the visions of the superstitious ; rectitude in the 
conscience, that distinguishes it from hypocrisy; 
sacrifice in the life, or renunciation of the world, 
by which it is distinguished from the unmeaning 
obedience of him who goes as a happy constitution 
leads him ; and lastly, zeal in the heart, which dif- 
fers from the languishing emotion of the luke- 
warm." 

Knowledge denotes learning or the improvement 
of our faculties by reading, observation and con- 
versation ; experience, or the acquiring new ideas 
or truths, by seeing a variety of objects, and mak- 
ing observations upon them in our own mind. 
Religious, saving knowledge, consists in venera- 
tion for the Divine Being, love to him as an object 
of beauty and goodness — humble confidence in his 



196 THE BOOK OF 

inercy and promises, and sincere, uniform, and per- 
severing obedience to his word. It may be farther 
considered, as a knowledge of God, of his love, 
faithfulness, power, &c. Knowledge will also 
enable us to instruct and benefit mankind, and we 
thus may become truly a pillar in the temple of 
God. 

Patience, bearing all trials and afflictions with 
an even mind — enduring in all, and persevering 
through all, an important and ornamental pillar in 
the Christian temple. " Patience," says an eminent 
writer, " is apt to be ranked by many among the 
more humble and obscure virtues, belonging chiefly 
to those who groan on a sick bed, or who languish 
in a prison ; but in every circumstance of life no 
virtue is more important both to duty and happi- 
ness." It must enter into the temper, and form 
the habit of the soul, if we would properly sus- 
tain the Christian character. 

Temperance, a proper and limited use of all 
earthly enjoyments, keeping every sense under 
proper restraints ; and never permitting the animal 
part to overcome the rational. Sobriety may be 
properly included under the head of this virtue ; 
and is both the ornament and defence of the Chris- 
tian. Sobriety is a security against the bad influ- 
ence of turbulent passions. It is necessary for the 
young and the old, for the rich and the poor, for 
the wise and the illiterate — all need to be sober and 
temperate. 



SIMILITUDES 



197 




Which say they fare Jews and are not, but are the Synagogue of Satan. 

%'uA Miftf ir e and th£ Wlnds blew and beat upon that kouse > 

THE SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN. 
The Synagogue of Satan here appears, 
On crumbling sands the tottering structure rears 
Its trembling columns, which their roof uplift 
While raging billows round it madly drift. 
No tapering spires that seem to cleave the skies 
Pointing to Heaven from out its roof arise, 
Only an earthly globe full soon to fall, 
While Folly writes her characters on all. 
On Unbelief the superstructure stands 
A tottering fabric reared on trembling sands, 
While underneath their burthen soon give way 
The work of Satan, fit but for decay 



198 THE B OOK OF 

As there is a Christian Church among men, so 
the great Adversary of God and mankind has his 
Church, or Synagogue, in the world. It, however, 
stands on a different foundation ; its form is differ- 
ent, and is also constructed of different materials. 
Among the prominent pillars, or columns, are the 
Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eye, Pride of Life, 
Self-will, &c. Hatred of the truth may be consid- 
ered as the foundation of this Synagogue ; on this 
are the columns raised. The roof, or covering, of 
the structure is Selfishness ; this is surmounted by 
a terrestial globe, emblematical of the nature of the 
building, showing that it is erected for no other ob- 
ject than what relates to this world. 

The Synagogue of Satan stands on the sandy 
foundation of Unbelief. A flood and tempest has 
arisen. The surges beat upon the sandy founda- 
tion ; it wears away ; the pillars tremble and fall ; 
the building cracks in pieces, tumbles into ruin, and 
the overflowing flood will soon sweep the last ves- 
tige away. 

A hatred of Christian Truth lies at the foundation 
of the unbelief of the unregenerate human heart. 
He that doeth evil, hateth the Light, and will not 
come to it lest his deeds should be reproved. He 
shuns the places where the truth is exhibited, and 
prefers to visit those places where his sins are not 
condemned, but rather palliated. He loves that 
system that makes light of sin, and that it will be 
well with him hereafter, however he may live in this 
world. From desiring and hoping these things, he 



SIMILITUDES. 199 

begins to believe them ; and to disbelieve the doc- 
trines which he hates. Upon this foundation he 
rears a superstructure, which may be well termed 
a Synagogue of Satan. 

The Lust of the Flesh may be considered as one 
of the prominent pillars in the Synagogue of Satan. 
This may, in a primary sense, be considered " sensual 
desire," seeking happiness in debauchery, delicious 
food, strong drink, and gratification of beastly de- 
sires, apparently wishing for nothing better, saying 
unto the Almighty, " depart from us, for we de- 
sire not the knowledge of thy ways." 

Genteel Epicurism, or Sensuality, may also be in- 
cluded under this head, an elegant course of self-in- 
dulgence as does not particularly disorder the head 
and stomach, or blemish our reputation among men, 
but keeps us at a distance from true religion. This 
species of idolatry is not confined to the rich and 
great. In this, also, " the toe of the peasant treads 
upon the heel of the courtier." Thousands in low, 
as well as hi high life, sacrifice to this idol ; seek- 
ing their happiness (although in a more humble man- 
ner) in gratifying their outward senses. It is true, 
their meat and drink, and the objects which gratify 
their other senses, are of a coarser kind. But still 
they make up all the happiness they either have or 
seek, and usurp the hearts which are due to God. 

Lust of the Eye is defined as " inordinate de- 
sires after Finery of every kind ; gaudy dress, 
splendid houses, superb furniture, expensive equip- 
age, trappings and decorations of all sorts. "We 



200 THE BOOK OF 

may also understand " the desire of the eye " to 
mean the seeking our happiness in gratifying our 
imagination, (which is chiefly done by means of the 
eyes,) by grand, new, or beautiful objects. The 
desire of novelty to most men is natural as the de- 
sire of food and drink. Persons of wealth have 
strong temptations to make idols of these things. 
How strongly and continually are they drawn to 
seek happiness in beautiful houses, elegant furni- 
ture and equipage, costly paintings, and delightful 
grounds and gardens ! 

How are rich men, of a more elevated turn of 
mind, tempted to seek happiness, as their various 
tastes lead, in poetry, history, music, philosophy, 
or curious arts and sciences ! Now, although it is 
certain all these have their use, and therefore may 
be innocently pursued, yet the seeking of happiness 
in any of them, instead of God, is manifestly idol- 
atry ; and therefore, were it only on this account 
that riches furnish him with the means of indulging 
all these desires, it might be well asked, " Is not the 
life of a rich man above most others a temptation 
on earth, drawing to worship wordly things, and 
thus make a worshiper in the Synagogue of Satan ?" 

Pride of Life is defined " Hunting after honors, 
titles, and pedigrees. Boasting of ancestry, family 
connections, great offices, honorable acquaintance, 
and such like." It is usually supposed to mean the 
pomp and splendor of those in high life, but it may 
also include the seeking of happiness in the praise 
and plaudits of our fellow-men, which, above most 



SIMILITUDES. 201 

things, engenders pride. "When this is pursued by 
monarchs, titled warriors and illustrious men, it is 
called " thirst for glory." 

The Pride of Life is seen among all classes and 
conditions of men. In the middle classes of society 
in many instances, we see those who possess a little 
more wealth than their neighbors look down upon 
them with contempt, and on this account will not 
associate with them. The poorer classes, also, have 
this Pride of Life, when they look down upon those 
whom they consider as below them ; for instance 
those who have a skin different from their own. 
There are also different classes among slaves who 
will not associate with others of their race. Among 
heathen nations how strong is the prejudice of caste, 
destroying the fraternal feelings. All these dis- 
tinctions among men tend to foster the Pride of 
Life, which thus becomes one of the principal pil- 
lars in the Synagogue of Satan. 

Avarice, the love of money, is another pillar in 
the above Synagogue. One who is properly a 
miser, loves and seeks money for its own sake. He 
looks no farther, but places his happiness in the ac- 
quiring or possessing of it. This is a species of 
idolatry different from the preceding, and is of the 
basest kind. To seek happiness either in gratify- 
ing this, or any other of the desires here mentioned, 
is to renounce God as the Supreme Good, and set 
up an idol in the Synagogue of Satan. 

Selfishness, represented in the engraving as the 
the roof or covering of the Synagogue. It forms 



202 THE BOOK OP 

a prominent part of the structure, covering all 
its parts. Some writers contend that all sin may- 
be comprehended under it. This vice consists in 
aiming at our own interest and gratification only, 
in everything we do. It shows itself in avarice, 
oppression, neglect and contempt of the rights of 
others, rebellion, sedition, immoderate attempts to 
gain fame, power, pleasure, money, and frequently 
by gross acts of lying and injustice. By, and under 
its power, innumerable sins are committed, as per- 
jury, hypocrisy, falsehood, idolatry, persecution and 
murder itself. 

The priests who officiate in the Synagogue of 
Satan have been numerous in all ages and countries. 
From the priests of Baal down to the present time 
there has been an unbroken succession of ministra- 
tions to the present time. Instead of leading men 
to the worship of the true and living God, many 
teachers have held up demons for admiration and 
worship. Even in modern times, oppression, ra- 
pine, war, revenge and bloodshed have been advo- 
cated by those professing to belong to the Christian 
Church, but are in reality of the Synagogue of 
Satan. 

Satan, the Chief Ruler or Master of the Syna- 
gogue here described, receives his name from a 
Hebrew word signifying adversary or enemy. It 
appears he and his company were cast out of Heaven 
on account of their pride and rebellion. By his 
envy and malice, sin, death, and all other evils came 
into the world, and by the permission of God, he 



SIMILITUDES. 203 

exercises a kind of government over his subordi- 
nates, over apostate angels like himself. He is the 
Father of Liars, and puts his spirit in the mouth 
of false prophets, seducers and heretics. He reigns 
in the hearts of the children of disobedience, and 
tempts men to evil ; inspires them with evil designs, 
as he did David, when he suggested to him to 
number his people ; to Judas to betray his Lord 
and Master ; and to Ananias and Sapphira to con- 
ceal the price of their field. He is also represented 
as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may tempt, de- 
ceive and devour. For this purpose he erects syn- 
agogues, inspires messengers and teachers to set 
forth his false doctrines, calls light, darkness, and 
darkness, light, and in short, uses his utmost skill to 
rob God of his glory and men of their souls. 



I hate the tempter and his charms ; 

I hate his flattering breath ; 
The serpent takes a thousand forms, 

To cheat our souls to death." 



204 



THE BOOK OF 




Belwld 1 lay in Zion . . a precious corner stone . . a sure foun- 
dation. Isa. xxviii. 16. I am the way, and the truth, and the life. John 
xiv. 6. 

THE SAFE BRIDGE. 

With sure foundations built on solid rock, 
Firm to resist the waves, or tempest shock, 
Behold the bridge, with firm foundations sure, 
Spanned by the promises that must endure ; 
Though billows rise, and madly foam below, 
Safe on his journey o'er the bridge he'll go. 
The righteousness of Christ, the sinner's plea, 
The one foundation of his hope must be, 
While truth divine, is like the rock, secure, 
And like eternity, must still endure. 

The only safe bridge over which the traveler can 
pass from this world to the " better country," rests 



SIMILITUDES. 205 

on the rock of Divine Truth. This foundation will 
stand, though storms and floods may beat against 
it. The traveler lays hold of, and is supported by, 
the iron-stranded rope of the Divine Promises, and 
by means of the Righteousness of Christ, a firm 
foundation is laid, a bridge is formed, by which the 
traveler can pass from this world to the new hea- 
vens and the new earth. He may, perhaps, through 
ignorance, have some misgivings as to the safety 
of the bridge over which he expects to pass, during 
the tempests and darkness by which he is some- 
times surrounded ; he may be fearful of being blown 
off; or, by some misstep, he may be precipitated 
into the depths below. Should a tempest arise, he 
need not fear, if he will but lay hold of the Divine 
Promises, and he may rest assured that they will 
not fail, though whatever else may seem to pass 
away. 

It will be perceived, that in order to get on to 
the bridge, it is necessary to get upon the elevated 
road — the highway of holiness. This is the way 
of safety. " No lion shall be there," and " the way- 
faring man, though a fool, need not err therein." 
Holiness consists in obedience to the divine com- 
mands — in learning God supremely — in loving our 
neighbor as ourselves. It is neither circumcision, 
nor uncircumcision, but a new creation, whereby a 
man is taken from wandering in the filth and mire 
of sin, washed and cleansed by the blood of Christ, 
and his feet placed on firm foundations, on that 
way which leads to everlasting life and felicity. 
18 



206 THE BOOK OF 

As the Great Lord of all lias ordained that those 
who inhabit this world, at an appointed time must 
leave it, He wishes to conduct all the creatures he 
has made, to a place of eternal happiness. This he 
has proclaimed to them in his word, he has also 
cast up a way of holiness, " by which the ransomed 
of the Lord can return to Zion, with everlasting 
joy upon their heads." And for these he has pre- 
pared a kingdom from the foundation of the world. 
But he will not force them into it ; he leaves them 
in the hands of their own council. He saith, " Be- 
hold I set before you life and death ; blessing and 
cursing ; choose life that you may live." He cries 
aloud, walk ye on the path of holiness, and when- 
ever the appointed time arrives for you to cross 
over the gulf of death to the unseen world, lay hold 
of the Divine Promises, place your feet on that 
bridge which rests on Divine Truth, and is sustain- 
ed by the Righteousness of Christ. 

The Lord our Righteousness, is a term which 
expresses a vital truth of Christianity, and, in a cer- 
tain sense, sustains or supports its whole frame. 
It may be stated that the Christian Church stands 
or falls with it. It is the pillar and ground of that 
faith, of which alone cometh salvation. The Right- 
eousness of Christ, is defined by a celebrated writer 
as twofold, divine and human. His divine right- 
eousness belongs to his divine nature, as equal with 
the Father, " over all, God blessed for ever." His 
human righteousness belongs to him in his human 
nature, and is a transcript of divine purity, justice, 



SIMILITUDES. 207 

mercy and truth. It includes love, reverence, and 
resignation to his Father — humility, meekness, 
gentleness — love to lost mankind, and every other 
holy and heavenly temper. It also includes all his 
outward acts, which were exactly right in every 
circumstance. The whole and every part of his 
obedience was complete. He " fulfilled all right- 
eousness." 

But the obedience and righteousness of Christ 
implied more than all this ; it implied not only do- 
ing, but suffering ; suffering the whole will of God, 
from the time he came into the world, till " he bore 
our sins in his own body on the tree ;" yea, till he 
made full atonement for them, " bowed his head 
and gave up the ghost." A measure of this truth 
is impressed upon the hearts of all Christians, of 
every name, when about to pass into the other 
world. It was this that even impressed the mind 
of the celebrated Bellarmine, when asked, as he 
was about to die, " Unto which of the saints wilt 
thou turn ?" cry out " Fldere meritis Christi Intis- 
simunV — [It is safest to trust in the merits of 
Christ.] 

Says an ancient and celebrated writer, " Christ, 
by his obedience, procured righteousness for us." 
And again, " all such expressions as these, — That 
we are justified by the grace of God — that Christ 
is our righteousness — that righteousness was pro- 
cured for us by the death and resurrection of Christ, 
import the same thing ; namely, that the righteous- 
ness of Christ, both his active and passive right- 



208 THE BOOK OF 

eousness, is the meritorious cause of our justifica- 
tion, and has procured for us, at God's hand, that 
upon our believing, we should be accounted right- 
eous by him." 

All true Christians are saved in consequence of 
what Christ hath done for them, and not for the 
sake of their own righteousness, or works, as it is 
declared, " Not by works of righteousness which 
we have done, but according to his mercy he hath 
saved us." " By grace are ye saved, through faith, 
not of works, lest any man should boast." We are 
justified freely by his grace, through the redemp- 
tion which is by Jesus Christ. When all the world 
was not able to pay any part of our ransom, it 
pleased him, without any of our deserving, to pre- 
pare for us Christ's body and blood, whereby our 
ransom might be paid, and his justice satisfied. 
Christ, therefore, is now the righteousness of all 
them that truly believe in him. 

We must first cut off all our dependence upon 
ourselves before we can truly depend upon Christ. 
We must cast away all confidence in our own 
righteousness, or we cannot have a true confidence 
in his. Till we are delivered from trusting in any 
thing that we do, we cannot thoroughly trust in 
what he has done or suffered. The righteousness 
of Christ is the only foundation which will surely 
bear us into heaven. They to whom the righteous- 
ness of Christ is available, are those who are made 
righteous by the Spirit of Christ, and are renewed 
in the image of God, " after the likeness wherein 



SIMILITUDES. 209 

they were created, in righteousness and true holi- 
ness." 

The great enemy of God and mankind, in order 
to lure the human race to destruction, builds up a 
structure connected with the pathway of sin some- 
what similar in appearance to the safe bridge. The 
righteousness of Christ being one of the supports 
of the safe bridge, an imitation has been got up, 
called by that name, which might be more properly 
called false confidence. 

Some even turn the grace of God into lacivious- 
ness, making Christ's righteousness a cloak for their 
sins. When reproved of their sins, they may an- 
swer, perhaps, " I pretend to no righteousness of 
my own — Christ is my righteousness." Or, if 
charged with injustice, licentiousness, &c, will an- 
swer, "I am, in myself, unjust, impure, &c. ; but I 
am, in Christ, righteous, and pure, and clean." Let 
all such dreamers be assured that they who " com- 
mit sin are of the devil," notwithstanding all their 
exalted faith and opinions. Such characters, not 
being on the highway to holiness, can never pass 
on to the safe bridge, which conduct to eternal 
safety and happiness. 



210 



THE BOOK OP 




The hope of unjust men perisheth. Prov. xi. 7. The way of the wicked he 
turneth upside down. Ps cxlvi. 9. There is a way that seemeth right unto 
a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Prov. xvi. 25. 

THE UNSAFE BRIDGE. 

The heedless traveler on his journey see, 
Passing from Time into Eternity ; 
The bridge, unsafe, he treads with willing feet, 
Nor seems to fear the ruin he must meet; 
It rests upon false doctrines, sandy banks, 
Frail structure ! unsupported are its planks; 
He heeds no warnings, knows not that the tide 
"Will sweep away the bridge in ruin wide, 
"While raging billows foam, dash to and fro, 
He quickly falls, and sinks in depths below ! 

The man who passes from time to eternity, re- 
gardless of the great truths of Christianity, may be 



SIMILITUDES. 211 

compared to a traveler who undertakes to cross a 
deep and wide stream, on a frail and unsafe bridge, 
which gives way under a slight pressure, or by the 
wearing of waters. 

The main foundations on which this bridge rests 
are the sandy banks of False Doctrine — the main 
timbers of which are Presumption and Vain Hope 
— the planks consist of various kinds of human 
merit, self-confidence, &c. The heedless traveler, 
without due examination of the structure over 
which he expects to pass, fearlessly passes on, till 
the frame-work, and every thing else connected 
with the bridge, gives way — he is at once precipi- 
tated into, and sinks in the mighty waters. 

There are many false systems of religion extant, 
each of which claims to be sufficient to conduct one 
in safety from time to a happy eternity. When 
the time of trial arrives, they will all be found un- 
availing, and as unsafe as a bridge, or other struc- 
ture, which has for a foundation, or support, a bank 
of sand. A person not knowing the nature of the 
soil of which the bank is composed, and on which 
the main timbers of the bridge rest, will be apt to 
believe that the bank is sufficiently durable to resist 
the action of the stream, and the bridge itself strong 
enough to bear the passenger to a place of safety. 
It is true, he may have had some intimidations of 
the danger of attempting to cross the stream on 
this bridge, but as these warnings comes from per- 
sons whom he considers as rather weak minded, 
and disposed to look on the dark side of things, he 



212 THE BOOK OF 

does not feel disposed to take their advice. He 
has been informed that there is another bridge, 
which is indeed safe, but as it is some distance off, 
and somewhat difficult to get on to the highway 
that leads to it, he determines to venture himself 
on the bridge near at hand, especially as he sees 
the great mass of travelers are of the same mind 
with himself. 

The great Lord of the country has ordained that 
all travelers shall leave this part of his dominions 
at a fixed time, whether they go willingly or not. He 
wishes them all to come to a better country, which 
he has prepared for all those who love and obey 
him. He has caused a bridge to be erected at an 
immense expense, over which all can pass in safety. 
He has sent out his servants to invite and entreat 
all travelers to come, and pass over the bridge with- 
out money and without price ! He has also pre- 
pared delightful mansions for all who will accept 
his kind invitation to the paradise he has prepared 
for them. He has also instructed his servants to 
warn all travelers against attempting to cross the 
unsafe bridge, telling them that they will be for ever 
lost, if they venture themselves on such a frail struc- 
ture. 

An evil prince, the enemy of the Lord of the 
country, has laid the foundations for the unsafe 
bridge, and has had the principal direction in fur- 
nishing the materials. He also has servants under 
him, whom he sends abroad to induce travelers to 
pass over the bridge which he has done so much in 



SIMILITUDES. 213 

the construction of. He represents it as entirely- 
safe, and even contradicts the assertion of the Lord 
of the country, that all will be lost who attempt to 
pass over it. 

This arch-enemy of God and man, has thus far 
deceived the greater portion of the human family. 
All who come on to the bridge he considers as his 
subjects, and when they fall from the bridge into 
the depths below, they pass into the regions of 
darkness and despair — they now find indeed that 
they are lost, that they are forever excluded from 
the abodes of the blessed above, there being be- 
tween them and that happy place a great gulf fixed, 
over which no one can pass. 

It is sometimes the case, that those who ven- 
ture on this unsafe structure, become convinced of 
its frail nature, and of its utter insufficiency to bear 
up a person from the gulf of perdition. Consider- 
ing the many warnings they have slighted, the 
proffered mercies they have rejected, they feel that 
they are justly condemned, and have forfeited all 
claims on the divine compassion. Knowing, by 
melancholy experience, that they have no power of 
themselves, to help themselves, and having no ex- 
pectation that God will help them, and that the day 
of their calamity has overtaken them, despair seizes 
them, and they at once cast themselves, by their 
own act, into the depths below ! 

Presumption is one of the main supports which 
give a specious strength to the unsafe bridge. 
Many are ruined by so presuming on the mercy of 



214 THE BOOK OF 

God, as utterly to forget his justice. Although he 
has expressly declared, " Without holiness, no man 
shall see the Lord ;" yet they natter themselves, 
that live as they may, they shall in the end come 
out right. They feel that they love their sins, and 
that, after all, they are not so bad as the Bible re- 
presents — that they are of little importance — that 
God will overlook them, or if he does not, they will 
be let off with some slight punishment. It is true, 
the Bible, in its literal sense, seems to denounce 
awful punishments against the wicked, but they 
persuade themselves that God is too merciful to 
punish in this manner : these threateuings may mean 
something;' else. 

Others, perhaps, persuade themselves that if they 
have faith merely, it is sufficient to save them, that 
Christ has clone all things for them, they are com- 
plete in him, &c. ; no matter what sins they commit 
they cannot be lost, for faith will save them ; evi- 
dently forgetting what the apostle says, that " Faith 
without works is dead, being alone." Some have 
gone so far as to renounce the outward forms of 
religion, treating them with contempt, esteeming 
them as " carnal ordinances," which persons of 
their knowledge and discernment, are not bound 
to observe. Some have even advocated the direct 
violation of God's law, (strange as it may appear,) 
under the profession of superior sanctity ; of being 
"all one in Christ Jesus," while indulging their 
beastly appetites ; prating about liberty, while 
" they are the servants of corruption." 



SIMILITUDES. 215 

The largest class, perhaps, who endeavor to 
pass over the unsafe bridge, expect to do it on the 
planks of human merit, self-righteousness, &c. By 
comparing themselves with many others they see 
about them, they consider themselves quite right- 
eous. It may be that " they fast twice in the week, 
and give tithes of all they possess," and give a con- 
siderable amount for charitable purposes. They 
can stand up before God, and give thanks, that they 
are not as bad as other men are. They think, per- 
haps, that publicans, and other low characters like 
them, may, in consequence of the enormities they 
have committed, cry out " God be merciful to us 
sinners." They never have, nor ever desire to be 
associated with such characters. 

A large class of persons of this stamp, have such 
an opinion of their virtuous dispositions, and the 
good deeds they have done, that they hardly need 
any other righteousness than their own, for their 
acceptance with God. All such will assuredly be 
disappointed ; for there is no other name or founda- 
tion under heaven, whereby we can be saved, or 
on which we can rely for salvation, but that of 
Jesus Christ. All else beside him is like the unsafe 
bridge, which, if we traverse, it will give way, and 
the deluded traveler will sink to rise no more ! 



216 



THE BOOK OF 




Thou wilt show me the path of life. Ps xvi. 11. They go from strength 
to strength Ps. lxxxiv. 7. The path of the just shmeth . . more and more 
unto the perfect day. Prov. iv. 18. 

SEYEN UPWARD STEPS. 

Seven upward steps in Christian life we see, 
Pirst Faith sincere, and then Humility ; 
Then the Repentance shown to God and man, 
And Hope, that eager grasps salvation's plan ; 
Then Expectation of the joys to come, 
Promised the Christian in his heavenly home. 
Sanctification, next within the soul, 
And blest Adoption, surety of the whole ; 
While Glory over all sheds luster down, 
And angels point him to the starry crown ; 
While hopes like these the Christian's life employ, 
The cross seems light, he presses on with joy. 



SIMILITUDES. 21*7 

In the engraving annexed, a person is seen as- 
cending the steps from faith to glory. He bears 
the consecrated cross, encouraged by the presence 
and ministry of a guardian angel, to press upward 
to the heavenly regions. The first step represent- 
ed is Faith ; showing that every one who com- 
mences a religious life must, in the first place, have 
faith in the being and attributes of God, believing 
that he is, and that he is a rewarder of all them 
that diligently seek him. In many places in Scrip- 
ture, faith is represented as the principal grace, and 
without it no one can please God. The apostle, 
in his epistle to the Hebrews, gives a long cata- 
logue of worthies who exercised living faith, from 
righteous Abel down to the Christian era, many of 
whom performed wonders by its power ; and it is 
recorded of them that they all died in faith. 

When a man has faith in God, and begins to> 
understand something of his nature, and of his ob- 
ligations to him, he feels a spirit of Humility, on 
account of his short-comings, his violations of the 
divine law, and the spirit of depravity within. He 
sees that he has broken the law of his Creator and 
Benefactor, and rendered himself liable to the in- 
fliction of its penalties. He is humbled in the dust 
before God, and feels himself undone, unless God 
has mercy on him. He has now taken the second 
upward step towards salvation. 

In view of his trangressions against so great and 
bo good a Being, the convicted sinner has a view 
of his corrupt and vile nature, and of his exceed- 
19 



218 THE BOOK OF 

mg depravity, and loaths himself on account of his 
sins. He now feels a deep sorrow for his trans- 
gressions, and makes a firm resolution and determi- 
nation to forsake them. He now exercises evan- 
gelical Repentance, and thus has taken the third 
upward step represented in the engraving. 

Encouraged by the divine promise, he now takes 
the fourth step upward. He exercises Hope that 
God will deliver him from all his sins, and save him 
with an eternal salvation. " The hope of a Chris- 
tian," says one, " is an expectation of all necessary 
good, both in time and in eternity, founded on the 
promises, relations and perfections of God ; and on 
the offices, righteousness and intercession of Christ. 
It is a compound of desire, expectation, patience 
and joy — Rom.viii. 24, 25. It maybe considered, 
first, as pure, 1 John iii. 2, 3, as it is resident in 
in that heart which is cleansed from sin — second, 
as good, 2 Thess. ii. 16, (in distinction from the hope 
of a hypocrite,) as deriving its origin from God, 
centering in him — third, it is called lively, 1 Pet. 
i. 3, as it proceeds from spiritual life, and renders 
one active and lively in good works — fourth, it is 
courageous, Rom. v. 5, 1 Thess. v. 8, because it 
exercises fortitude in all the troubles of life, and 
yields support in the hour of death, Prov. xiv. 
32 — fifth, sure, Heb. vi. 19, because it will not dis- 
appoint us, and is fixed on a sure foundation — sixth, 
joyful, Rom. v. 2, as it produces the greatest feli- 
city in the anticipation of the complete deliverance 
from all evil." 



SIMILITUDES. 219 

Expectation, the fifth step, is nearly allied, and 
may be considered as an advanced step upward 
from hope. We may, indeed, hope for some things 
which we may have but very little prospect of re- 
ceiving, and it may be so deferred as even to make 
" the heart sick." But the Christian, having had 
some experience of the mercy and goodness of God, 
now expects to receive still greater blessings in 
accordance with his promises. 

Sanctification, the sixth upward step in the Chris- 
tian life, is defined by Archbishop Usher to be 
" nothing less than for a man to be brought to an 
entire resignation of his will to the will of God, and 
to live in the offering up of his soul continually in 
the flames of love, and as a whole burnt offering to 
Christ." It is also defined as the work of God's 
grace, whereby we are enabled to die unto sin, and 
live unto righteousness. 

Sanctification is distinguished from justification 
thus : justification changeth our state in law before 
God as a Judge. Sanctification changeth our heart 
and life before him as our Father. Justification 
precedes, and sanctification follows as the fruit and 
evidence of it. Justification removes the guilt of 
sin — sanctification the power of it. Justification 
delivers us from the avenging wrath of God — sanc- 
tification from the power of it. It is a work of 
God, and evidences itself by a holy reverence of the 
Divine Being — patient, submission to his will — com- 
munion with God — delight in his Word and ordi- 
nances — humility, prayer,, holy confidence, praise, 
and uniform obedience. 



220 THE BOOK OF 

Being purified and sanctified, we are thus ren- 
dered complete in Christ, we receive adoption as 
sons. This, the seventh and highest elevation to 
which mortals can attain in this life, before they 
enter Glory above. Adoption is defined to be the 
act of God's free grace, whereby human beings are 
received into the number, and have a right to all 
the privileges of the sons of God. Adoption is a 
word taken from the civil law, and was much in 
use among the Romans in the time of the Apostles ; 
when it was the custom for persons having no 
children of their own, to adopt one or more of some 
others, to whom they gave their name, their estates, 
and were in all respects treated and considered as 
their own children. 

The privileges of those who are adopted into the 
family of God, are every way great and extensive. 
They have God's name upon them, and are described 
as his people, " called by his name." They are no 
longer slaves to the things of time and sense, but 
are raised to dignity and honor. They have in- 
exhaustible riches laid up for them, for it is declared 
that "they shall inherit all things." They have 
the divine protection, for it is also declared that 
"they shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and 
in sure dwellings, and quiet resting places." They 
shall have unspeakable felicity and eternal glory — 
for the same word declares that " they shall be for 
ever with the Lord." 

Those who are adopted into the family of heaven, 
cast off all allegiance to any other — they give up 



SIMILITUDES. 221 

every other interest which interferes with the will 
and glory of their Heavenly Father, saying " other 
lords have had dominion over us ; but by thee only 
will we make mention of thy name." These adopt- 
ed ones feel a supreme affection for their Great 
Benefactor, and each one of them says, from his 
heart, " whom have I in heaven but thee, and there 
is none on earth that I desire besides thee." They 
have access to God with a holy boldness. Being 
children by adoption, and joint heirs with Jesus 
Christ, they can, by the virtue of his merits, " come 
boldly to the throne of grace, that they may obtain 
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need," and 
in the words of inspiration, they may truly say, 
" He that spared not his only begotten Son, but 
freely gave him up for us all, how shall he not with 
him freely give us all things." 

The Christian traveler, having ascended to a 
state of sanctification and adoption into the family 
of Heaven, has arrived at the confines of eternal 
glory. He is now in the land of Beulah, and has 
glimpses of the heavenly, glorious and eternal man- 
sions of the blessed, and can say with the Apostle, 
" Henceforth I know that there is a crown of glory 
laid up for me, and not for me only, but for all who 
love his appearing." 



222 



THE BOOK O 




But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being 
deceived. 2 Tim. iii. 13. Going down to the chambers of death. Pxov. vu. 
27. 

SEVEN DOWNWARD STEPS. 

Seven downward steps, behold in man's career, 
A siren form of Guilty Pleasure near ; 
She gives the cup with all her fiendish arts, 
The base indulgences of sense imparts. 
Desire, Self- Will, and Self-Deception first, 
Three steps upon that downward way accurst ; 
Hardness of heart, the heavenly call requite, 
And Blindness, such as will not see the light ; 
Presumption, sporting next on ruin's brink, 
Too hardened far, the soul to pause and think, 
Till Desperate Wickedness, last step below, 
Lands the lost wretch in depths of darkest wo ! 



SIMILITUDES. 223 

The engraving annexed represents a man going 
down, from bad to worse, a flight of steps reach- 
ing to the regions of darkness and despair. He is 
lured on, perhaps, by some fascinating emissary of 
evil, who causes the bubbles of fancy and imagi- 
nation, with their brilliant and attractive colors, to 
dance before him. He is attracted — the cup of 
guilty pleasure and intoxication is held out to him 
— he is lured downward by his deceiver, and, as 
she descends to lower depths, he follows, till he 
reaches the utmost depths of wickedness and de- 
spair. 

Man, in this life, is in a state of trial or tempta- 
tion, and is situated, as it were, between two worlds, 
the one of light and glory, the other of darkness 
and despair. He is tempted to take a downward 
course. The world, with its fascinating objects, is 
always placed before him in bright and beauteous 
colors. He is warned by heavenly wisdom to turn 
off his eyes from beholding vanity, but he turns a 
deaf ear to her entreaties, being lured by the de- 
ceitful and lying vanities presented to his view by 
a demon in the form of a beautiful female. Instead 
of resisting the tempter, as divine wisdom com- 
mands, his mind dwells on forbidden objects, and 
it is filled with the evil desire of accomplishing or 
obtaining unlawful objects. This is the first step 
in his downward career. 

Self-will, the next step downward, is natural to 
man in his fallen state. Satan has stamped his 
image on his heart, and, like his master, he is de- 



224 THE BOOK OF 

termined to have his own will. The will of God, 
which is the supreme rule of every intelligent crea- 
ture in heaven or earth, is discarded. Though 
warned of the fatal consequences, he braves it all 
in defiance of the Almighty ; though entreated, he 
turns a deaf ear, and, with bold effrontery, says in 
his heart, " I will do my own pleasure independ- 
ently that of my Creator." The Almighty is de- 
throned in the sinner's heart, and self is set up, 
served, and worshiped as Deity. 

The man who has made up his mind that he will 
do certain acts forbidden by God's Word, in order 
to quiet his conscience, commences a course of self- 
deception. He reasons with himself that the sin 
he wishes to commit, (if it indeed be a sin,) is but 
a small affair. He is led, perhaps, to consider it 
rather as a human weakness than a sin, that he can 
repent at any time, for which God is bound to for- 
give. The best of men have their failings — he has 
his, &c. Forgetting the great truth, that man is 
in the world on a state of trial, he asks, " why do I 
have these desires, unless they are to be gratified ?" 
True, the Bible seems to be against these things, 
but perhaps the Bible itself is not true, and there- 
fore it is nothing but priestcraft. 

By deceptive reasonings like the above, the heart 
of man is " hardened through the deceitfulness of 
sin," and he may be considered as having descend- 
ed to the fourth downward step — hardness of heart. 
He now can violate a plain command of God, with 
but little or no self-condemnation — either doing 



SIMILITUDES. 225 

what lie has expressly forbidden, or neglecting what 
he has expressly commanded — and yet without any 
remorse ; and he may, perhaps, glory in this very 
hardness of heart ! Many instances of this deplor- 
able state of mind are to be met with among man- 
kind, and even among some who call themselves 
Christians. If any one can break the least of the 
known commands of God, without self-condemna- 
tion, it is plain that he is under the dominion of the 
god of this world, and that Satan hath hardened 
his heart. If not soon recovered from this, he will 
be " past feeling," and the conscience, as St. Paul 
speaks, will be " seared as with a hot iron." 

After a course of self-deception, and having hard- 
ened his heart, the sinner passes on tt a state of 
JBlindness — another downward step to perdition. 
As he had wilfully closed his eyes against the light, 
his mind becomes blinded and insensible to the 
truth of God. "We have an example of blindness 
of mind among a whole people, the Jews, who wil- 
fully closed their eyes against the true light which 
was exhibited by Jesus Christ, and rejected the 
Lord of life and glory, and preferred a murderer 
before him. God, in judgment, " hath given them 
the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, 
and ears that they should not hear, let their eyes be 
darkened," &c. In many individual cases, those who 
have wilfully hardened their hearts, and rejected 
Jesus Christ, become blind to all moral excellence, 
" calling darkness light, and light darkness." 

After the mind, by a course of sin, becomes dark- 



226 THE BOOK OP 

ened, the sinner commits wickedness in a bold and 
daring manner, presuming that either God will not 
notice his actions, or if he does, he will pardon 
every act he may commit. " Presumptuous si?is" 
says one, " must be distinguised from sins of in- 
firmity, or those failings peculiar to human nature, 
from sins done through ignorance, and from sins 
into which men are hurried by sudden and violent 
temptation. They imply obstinacy, inattention to 
the remonstrance of conscience, and opposition to 
the dispensations of Providence. Presumptuous 
sins are numerous ; such as profane swearing, per- 
jury, theft, adultery, drunkenness, &c. These may 
be more particularly considered a& presumptuous 
gins, because they are generally committed against 
a known law, and so often repeated. * * As it 
respects professors of religion, they sin presumptu- 
ously, when they take up a profession of religion 
without principle, when they do not take religion as 
they find it in the Bible, when they run into tempta- 
tion, and at the same time indulge in self-confidence 
and self-complacency, and when professing to be 
Christians, they live licentiously, and when they 
magnify and pervert their troubles, arraigning the 
conduct of God as unkind, or unjust." 

The last downward step before entering the 
blackness of final despair, may be called that of 
Desperate Wickedness. The apostle speaks of those 
" who, being past all feeling, have given themselves 
over to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with 
greediness." This describes one form of desperate 



SIMILITUDES. 227 

wickedness, and is a complete finish of the most 
abandoned character. To do a wicked act is bad, 
but to labor in it is worse — to labor in all wicked- 
ness is worse still, but to do all this, in every case, 
to the utmost extent, with a desiae exceeding time, 
place, opportunity and strength, is worst of all, 
and leaves nothing more profligate, or more aban- 
doned to be described. To be desperately wicked, 
is to throw off all sense of shame, and to bid de- 
fiance to all the threatenings of the Almighty against 
sin ; to be desperate, is to have neither the hope or 
desire of reformation — in a word, to be without re- 
morse, and to be utterly regardless of conduct, 
character, or final blessedness. 



Thy law and thy gospel they despise, 

They dare thy wrath — of madness proud ; 

They scorn thy grace to seek, or prize 
To bow too lofty, e'en to God. 

Downward to death the wicked go, 

By sin led on, to ruin driven ; 
They sink in darkness to a world of wo, 

And find no entrance into heaven. 



228 



THE B OOK OF 




What man is he that liveth and shall not see death ? Ps. lxxxix. 48. All 
fesk shall perish together. Job xxxiv. 15. Death passed upon all men. 
Rom. v. 12. Thou turneth man to destruction. Ps. xc. 3. 

DEATH'S DOINGS. 

The King of Terrors, in his regal crown, 

Blinded, at hazai*d, strikes his victims down, 

The rich and great, the beggar, mean and low, 

All fall alike by his resistless blow ; 

The infant child, the monarch on his throne, 

All helpless victims on his path are strown ; 

The lonely maiden in her beauteous bloom, 

The aged man, all share alike the doom ; 

A stern, resistless monarch, 'neath whose sway 

None may resist, but all alike obey. 

Death is usually represented by the figure of a 
ihuman skeleton. In the annexed engraving he is 



SIMILITUDES. 229 

represented as partially clothed, so that his form, 
so shocking to human beings, is not always per- 
ceived. As he is called the " King of Terrors," he 
wears a crown. As he is impartial, he shows no 
favors to any particular class. He is represented 
as striking with his fatal darts, at the same time, 
the lame beggar with his crutches, and the beau- 
teous maiden in the full bloom and joy of life — the 
haughty monarch, with all his insignia of royalty, 
and the little helpless child, are equally prostrated 
by the stroke of death. In the back-ground, the 
minister of religion is seen warning his congrega- 
tion of the approach of the great destroyer. 

" Death is, in itself, a most serious and distress- 
ing event. It is nature's supreme evil — the abhor- 
rence of God's creation — a monster from whose 
touch every living thing recoils. So that to shrink 
from its ravages upon ourselves, or upon those we 
love, is not an argument of weakness, but an act 
of obedience to the first law of being — a tribute to 
the value of that life which is our Maker's gift. 

The disregard which some of old affected to 
whatever goes by the name of evil — the insensibility 
of others who yield up their souls to the power of 
fatalism ; and the artificial gaiety which has oc- 
casionally played the comedian about the dying bed 
of " philosophy, falsely so called," are outrages 
upon decency and nature. " Death destroys both 
action and enjoyment — mocks at wisdom, strength 
and beauty — disarranges our plans — robs us of our 
treasure — desolates our bosoms — breaks our heart 
20 



230 THE BOOK OF 

strings — blasts our hope. Death extinguishes the 
glow of kindness — abolishes the most tender rela- 
tions of man — severs him from all he knows and 
loves — subjects him to an ordeal which thousands 
of millions have passed, but none can explain ; and 
which will be as new to the last who gives up the 
ghost, as it was to murdered Abel — flings him, in 
fine, without avail from the experience of others, 
into a state of untried being. ~Ro wonder that 
nature trembles before it. Reason justifies the fear. 
Religion never makes light of it ; and he who does, 
instead of ranking with heroes, can hardly deserve 
to rank with a brute." 

"The best course of moral instruction against 
the passions,'' says Saurin, " is death." The grave 
is a discoverer of the absurdity of sin of every kind. ' 
There the ambitious may learn the folly of ambition. 
There the vain may learn the vanity of all human 
things. There the voluptuous may read a mortify- 
ing lesson on the absurdity of sensual pleasure. 
Constantine the Great, in order to reclaim a miser, 
took a lance, and marked out a space of ground the 
size of the human body, and told him " Add heap 
to heap, accumulate riches upon riches, extend the 
bounds of your possessions, conquer the whole 
world, in a few days such a spot as this will be all 
you will have. * * Death puts an end to the 
most specious titles, to the most dazzling grandeur, 
and to the most delicious life." 

A sultan, amusing himself with walking, observ- 
ed a dervis sitting with a human skull in his lap, 



SIMILITUDES. 231 

and appearing to be in a very profound reverie ; 
his attitude and manner surprised the sultan, who 
demanded the cause of his being so deeply engaged 
in reflection. " Sire," said the dervis, " this skull 
was presented to me this morning ; and I have from 
that moment been endeavoring, in vain, to discover 
whether it is the skull of a powerful monarch, like 
your majesty, or a poor dervis, like myself." A 
humbling consideration, truly ! 

" Earth's highest station ends in, here he lies! 
And dust to dust concludes her noblest song." 

When David Garrick, the celebrated actor, 
showed Dr. Johnson, the great English moralist, 
his fine house, gardens, statues, pictures, &c, at 
Hampton Court, the Doctor, instead of giving him 
a flattering compliment, as was expected, he re- 
plied, " Ah, David, David ! these are the things 
that make a death-bed terrible." At the restora- 
tion of monarchy in England, a Fellow of one of 
the Colleges at Cambridge represented to a friend 
the great difficulties of conforming, in point of con- 
science, to the regulations required, concluding, 
however, with these words, " but we must live." 
To which the other most appropriately answered, 
with the same number of words, "but we must 
[also] die !" 

" Considering death in itself, it is," as a young 
writer observes, " a sad scene ; and the solemnity 
of the scene increases as death advances. Every 
step the last enemy takes, alarms ; every fresh 
symptom strikes terror into the spectators, and 



232 THE BOOK OF 

spreads silence and gloominess through the dwell- 
ing; the disease baffles the power of medicine. 
They who stand by, observe its progress — the dying 
man watches their looks — he suspects his case to 
be desperate. The physician at length pronounces 
it so — he believes it. Now the wheel of life goes 
down apace. The vital flame burns faint and irre- 
gular — reason intermits — short intervals of sense 
divide his thoughts and passions — now himself is 
the object — then his family — his friends, his rela- 
tions, his children crowd around his bed, shed their 
unavailing tears over him, and receive his last bless- 
ing. His pulse beats a surrender to the pale con- 
queror — his eyes swim — his tongue falters — a cold 
sweat bedews his face — he groans — he expires !" 



Pope Eugenius IV, having summoned a council 
to meet at the city of Bale, or Basel, in Switzerland, 
it accordingly met there in the year 1431, and 
continued to sit for 1 7 years. At this council, the 
Pope himself, and many princes were present. 
During the sitting of this council the city of Basel 
was visited with a plague, which carried off many 
of the nobility; and on the cessation of the distem- 
per, the surviving members of the council, with a 
view to perpetuate the memory of this event, caused 
to be painted on the walls of the cemetery a Dance 
of Deaths representing all ranks of persons as in- 
dividually seized by him. The figures are all drawn 
in the costume or habit of the times. 

Holbein, one of the greatest painters of the Ger- 



SIMILITUDES. 233 

man school, was born in Bale about 1498, where 
he lived till manhood. In 1554, a series of wood 
cuts, about 50 in number, from Holbein's drawings, 
were published in Bale, entitled '-'•Images of Death" 
each print being accompanied by an admonitory 
stanza, and a quotation from the Bible. This unique 
specimen of art has passed through numerous edi- 
tions, in various languages. The American edition 
of this work has a frontispiece which shows an open 
grave in front, to which a long procession from the 
city is coming, each individual being accompanied 
by a figure of death. The Pope is seen at the head, 
the Emperor next, and so on, in regular gradation, 
according to rank. 

The four first of these expressive drawings re- 
present our first parents in various situations, from 
their creation till after their expulsion from Para- 
dise. The fifth scene shows a church-yard, and the 
porch of a church filled with an assemblage of skele- 
tons, who are blowing trumpets and other loud 
sounding instruments, evidently rejoicing in tri- 
umph — the sixth, shows the Pope in the act of 
crowning an Emperor, who kneels before him. — 
Death, however, from behind the throne, lays bis 
hand upon him, who is the highest human poten- 
tate. The seventh shows an Emperor enthroned, 
with sword in hand, with his courtiers about him 
— a skeleton is seen bestriding the shoulders of the 
monarch, with his hands upon his crown. In the 
eighth we see a King dining under a canopy, and 
served by a retinue. He has in his hand a wine cup, 



234 THE BOOK OF 

but does not appear to see that Death is filling it. 
A Cardinal appears in the ninth, selling an indul- 
gence for money. Death appears seizing his hat, 
the symbol of his rank, and is about to tear it from 
his head. 

In the tenth design, an Empress is seen in her 
palace-yard, attended by the ladies. Death, how- 
ever, is by her side, directing her attention to an 
open grave. In the next, Death, in the guise of a 
court fool, has seized the Queen ; she shrieks, and 
endeavors to free herself from his grasp, but in 
vain. With a grin of fierce delight, he holds up his 
hour-glass to show her her time is expired. In the 
twelfth, Death carries off a Bishop from his flock. 
In the thirteenth, an Elector, or Prince, of the em- 
pire, who is apparently repulsing a poor woman 
and child from his presence. Death, the avenger 
of the oppressed poor, with an iron gripe is seizing 
him while standing among his courtiers. The Ab- 
bot and the Abbess are the subjects of the two 
next cuts. In the former, Death has assumed the 
mitre and crosier of his victim, and drags him off 
with ludicrous pomp — he drags off the Abbess by 
the scapulary which hangs about her neck. 

A Gentleman, and a Canon, figure in the sixteenth 
and seventeenth groups — the Judge, the Advocate, 
and the Magistrate — th e vices peculiar to these sta- 
tions only, are satirically displayed. The Curate 
is next represented — behind him stands Death, who 
holds up the jaw of a skeleton over his head, as 
being more eloquent than his own. A Priest, and 



SIMILITUDES. 235 

mendicant Friar appear next. The twenty-fourth 
is a youthful Nun, kneeling before the oratory in 
her cell. The next in order are the Old Woman, 
the Physician, and Astrologer — to the Physician, 
Death, as in mockery, is bringing him a patient — 
to the Astrologer, who is looking up to a celestial 
sphere, Death holds up a skull before him, inviting 
him to contemplate that sphere before the other. 
The Miser comes next, from whom Death snatches 
his gold — the Merchant and Mariner follow. Death 
takes away the Merchant from his ships and mer- 
chandize, and is snapping the mast of the Mariner's 
vessel. 

The Knight, or Soldier, is represented as in a 
desperate conflict with Death — the Count, and Old 
Man come next. The Countess, while examining 
a new dress, Death is adjusting a collar about her 
neck. Death appears before the new married 
couple beating a tabor with joy. He seizes the 
Duchess as she is sitting on her bed or couch — the 
next cut represents a heavy loaded Porter, whom 
Death is taking from under his burden. The Pea- 
sant, or Plowman, comes next, of whose four- 
horse team Death is the driver. The next is an 
affecting scene, approaching to the strongest sym- 
pathies of the human heart. Aside from this, it 
shows the impartiality of Death, who 

" Invades with the same step, 
The hovels of beggars and the palaces of kings." 

The mother is seen in a poor cottage preparing 
with a few small sticks a scanty meal. Death 



236 THE BOOK OF 

enters, seizes the hand of the youngest child, who 
turns and stretches the other imploringly to his 
mother, who is frantic with grief. A battle-scene 
between Death and a Swiss soldier, — the field is 
covered with the wounded and slain, in the midst 
of which he encounters his last enemy. 

A group of gamesters are next represented. 
Death appears to be strangling one of the company, 
probably designed to show one method of suicide 
committed by those given to games of chance. 
Next, a drunken German debauch, as the actors 
appeared four centuries since. Death has seized 
one of the poor besotted creatures, and turns the 
fatal liquor down his throat. Next follows the 
Fool, the Thief, and the Blind-man — the Fool is 
accompanied by a figure of Death, playing on a 
bag-pipe — the Thief, or highway man, is seen in the 
act of robbing a helpless woman. Death, however, 
is seen with his bony fingers grasping the neck of 
the thief, indicative of the fate which awaits him — 
the blind man is led by a skeleton who appears 
blind also. 

The forty-seventh design in this singular work, 
is an admirable representation of a poor, decrepid 
beggar, forsaken by his fellow-men — some of his 
limbs are withered by disease, and his body is 
nearly destitute of clothing. To add to his misery, 
a number of persons are seen pointing at him the 
finger of scorn and derision. Death is not seen 
near him, as he is with the other characters repre- 
sented — this circumstance has puzzled critics and 



SIMILITUDES. 237 

antiquarians, who ask what is the reason of the 
omission ? It might be to show that he to whom 
Death would be a relief, he oftentimes seems to 
delay his coming. 

Among the four last scenes represented, are one 
showing the Husband, the other the Wife. Death 
is seen leading away the Husband by part of his 
dress, which he has seized and thrown over his own 
shoulder. The Wife has her hand grasped by 
Death, who is leading her away, unmindful of her 
tears. The work ends, as a connected series, with 
a representation, partly figurative and partly literal, 
of what will take place at the consummation of all 
things. Christ, the Conqueror of Death, and final 
Judge of all, attended with the hosts above, is seen 
in the clouds of heaven, seated on the Bow of 
Promise. The celestial sphere, showing the ecliptic, 
with the signs of the zodiac, the earth in the center, 
&c, is seen beneath the Judge, thus showing that 
all worlds are under him, and that he views them 
all at one glance. An assemblage of human beings, 
apparently just raised from their graves, appear 
before their judge, to be dealt with according to 
the deeds done in the body. 



238 



THE BOOK OP 




Wo unto them that put darkness for light, and light for darkness. Isa. v. 
20. Speaking lies in hypocrisy. 1 Tim. iv. 2. He that speaketh lies shall 
perish. Prov. xix. 9. 

THE LYING DEMON. 

Behold the Lying Demon thus disgrace 
The robes of truth — she hides her hideous face 
Behind a mask, and in her hand she bears 
The broken mirror, which distorted wears 
False images, most like her own deceit. 
The weeping crocodile beneath her feet, 
The misnamed globes of darkness and of light, 
To which her lying lips direct the sight ; 
Truth's sacred records trampled under foot, 
And man's vain theories, their substitute, 
While o'er her flies the dusky bird of night, 
Emblem of deeds that dare not meet the light ; 
While infidelity upholds her form, 
Soon to be swept before the rising storm ; 
All these her hideous character declare, 
And all some token of deception bear. 



SIMILITUDES. 239 

The Lying Demon is here represented by a 
hideous figure dressed up somewhat in the resem- 
blance of Truth. She wears a mask to hide the de- 
formity of her features. She holds up a mirror, it 
is true, but it is broken, which reflects every thing 
in a broken, distorted, and disjointed manner. Two 
hemispheres are exhibited, one light, the other dark ; 
she points to the latter, and calls it light. By her 
side is seen the crocodile, who is uttering a cry of 
distress, in order, it is said, to draw other animals 
within its reach, so that it may devour them, and 
is properly an emblem of lying and fraud. 

The demon is represented as trampling the rec- 
ords of truth under her feet — she has various masks 
at hand to be worn on certain occasions. By her 
side are various infidel works, among which are 
Paine, Voltaire, and others. The book of Mor- 
mon, one of the most recent tissues of falsehood 
and folly, is also exhibited. Above her flies the bat, 
the bird of night, and emblem of darkness. The 
Lying Demon stands on the sandy foundation of 
Atheism and Infidelity, which the rising storm and 
flood will sweep away with the besom of destruc- 
tion. 

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. All 
men must acknowledge lying to be one of the most 
scandalous sins that can be committed between 
man and man — a crime of a deep dye, and of an 
extensive nature, leading into innumerable sins — ■ 
for lying is practiced to deceive, to injure, betray, 
rob, destroy, and the like. Lying, in this sense, is 



240 THE BOOK OF 

the concealment of all other crimes — the sheep's 
clothing upon the wolf's back, the pharisee's prayer, 
the harlot's blush, the hypocrite's paint, the mur- 
derer's smile, the thief's cloak, and Judas' kiss. In 
a word, it is the devil's distinguished character- 
istic. 

Lying, is defined by Paley, " as a breach of 
promise, for whoever seriously addresses his dis- 
course to another, tacitly promises to speak the 
truth, because he knows that truth is expected. 
There are various kinds of lies : — first, the perni- 
cious lie, uttered for the hurt, or disadvantage of 
our neighbor — second, the officious lie, uttered for 
our own, or our neighbor's advantage — third, the 
ludicrous and jocose lie, uttered by way of jest, 
and only for mirth's sake, in common converse — 
fourth, pious frauds, as they are improperly called, 
pretended inspirations, forged books, connterfeit 
miracles, are species of lies — fifth, lies of the con- 
duct, for a lie may be told in gestures as well as in 
words — sixth, lies of omission, as when an author 
willfully omits what ought to be related ; and may 
we not all — seventh, that all equivocation and men- 
tdl reservation come under the guilt of lying." 

The evil and injustice of this crime appears — 
first, from its being a breach of the natural and 
universal right of all men to truth in the intercourse 
of speech — second, for its being a violation of God's 
law — third, the faculty of speech was bestowed on 
us as an instrument of knowledge, not of deceit ; 
to communicate our thoughts, not to hide them — 



SIMILITUDES. 241 

fourth, it has a tendency to dissolve all society — 
fifth, the punishment of it is great : the hatred of 
those whom we have deceived, and an eternal sep- 
aration from God in the world to come. 

Truth is always consistent with itself, and needs 
nothing to help it out. It is always near at hand, 
sits upon our lips, and is ready to drop out before 
we are aware ; whereas a lie is troublesome, and 
sets a man's imagination upon the rack, and one 
trick needs a good many more to make it good. It 
is like building upon a false foundation, which con- 
tinually needs props to shove it up, and proves at 
last more chargeable than to have raised a substan- 
tial building at first, upon a true and solid founda- 
tion ; for security is firm and substantial, and there 
is nothing hollow or unsound in it, and because it 
is plain and open, fears no discovery ; of which the 
crafty man is always in danger ; and when he thinks 
he walks in the dark, all his pretenses are so trans- 
parent, that he that runs may read them ; he is the 
last man that finds himself to be found out, and 
while he thinks he is making fools of others, he 
makes the greatest fool of himself. 

"Almost every other vice," says an excellent 
writer, " may be kept in countenance by applause 
and association ; and even the robber and cut-throat 
have their followers, who admire their address and 
intrepidity, their stratagems of rapine, and their 
fidelity to the gang ; but the liar is universally de- 
spised, abandoned, and disowned. He has no do- 
mestic consolations, which he can oppose to the 
21 



242 THE BOOK OP 

censure of mankind. He can retire to no fraternity, 
where his crimes may stand in the place of virtues ; 
but is given up to the hisses of the multitude with- 
out a friend, without an apologist." "The very 
devils," says one, " do not tell lies to one another ; 
for truth is necessary to all societies, nor can the 
society of hell subsist without it." 

The sin of lying consists in declaring for true, 
any thing that is false. If we say or do any thing 
to deceive, even if we speak not a word, we are 
guilty of falsehood, as in the following instances. 
Suppose a man to be traveling to York on horse- 
back, and comes to a place where two roads meet. 
The right-hand road is the one he should take, but 
he is a stranger and does not know it. He sees a 
person in the road, and asks him which is the way 
to York? The man says nothing, but points to 
the left-hand road. After traveling some consider- 
able distance, he stops to get refreshment for him- 
self and horse, saying, " I wish to get to York to- 
night, and I suppose this is the right road ?" — the 
man says nothing, but laughs at the traveler's mis- 
take, when he is out of sight. These men were 
guilty of falsehood, though they did not say a word* 
The first deceived the traveler, and committed a 
lie, by pointing in a direction he knew to be wrong 
— the second deceived the traveler by his silence, 
for he intended, by saying nothing, to make the 
man believe that he was right. 

A person may be guilty of falsehood even in speak- 
ing the truth, as in the following instances. " I 



SIMILITUDES. 243 

cannot find Mary," says one girl to another, " have 
you seen her ?" " Yes," replied the other, '* I 
have." She had not seen her for some time, and 
she knew that her companion meant to ask her 
whether she had seen her just then, and so, though 
she had seen her at different times before, she was 
guilty of falsehood, because she wished to make 
the other believe that she had seen Mary a little 
time before. 

Parents sometimes unwittingly educate their 
children to deceit and lying. The mother, per- 
haps, when giving her child unpleasant medicine, 
says, " Here is something good for you." The 
child,, when it has swallowed the bitter potion, cries 
out, — " you said it was good." " So it is good — 
for your cough" replied the mother. Is it not 
evident that she was guilty of falsehood, in deceiv- 
ing her child, though her words were true. A man 
signed a promise that he would never drink intoxi- 
cating liquor, unless it was ordered by a physician. 
Afterwards he wished to get rid of his promise, 
and persuaded a physician to order him to drink 
brandy. But he knew the true meaning of the 
promise was that he should not drink it unless he 
was sick, and it was thought necessary for him by 
n physician. Therefore he was guilty of deceit, 
and of breaking his pledge. 

In the first age of the Christian Church, the 
Almighty, in a striking manner, showed his dis- 
pleasure against deception and lying, by striking 
dead Annanias and Sapphira in the very act. God 



244 THE BOOK OP 

made this guilty pair an example of his justice to 
show his utter abhorrence of hypocrisy and deceit. 
In the book of Revelations it is declared that " all 
liars shall have their part in the lake that burneth 
with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." 
" The word liars in this passage," says an able 
•commentator, " signifies every one who speaks con- 
trary to the truth, when he knows the truth ; and 
even he who speaks the truth with the intention to 
deceive ; i. e. to persuade a person that a thing is 
different from what it really is, by telling only a 
part of the truth ; or suppressing some circumstance 
which would have led the hearer to a different, and 
the true conclusion. All these shall have their por- 
tion, their share, what belongs to them, their right, 
in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone. 
This is the second death, from which there is no 
recovery.'' 



" The liar laugheth in sorrow, he weepeth in joy : he work- 
eth in the dark as a mole, and fancieth he is safe ; but he 
blundereth into light, and is exposed to full view, with dirt 
on his head. He lives in perpetual constraint, for his tongue 
and his heart are at variance, and the business of his life is 
to deceive." As he has shunned the light, darkness eternal 
will be his portion. 



SIMILITUDES. 



245 




Before I teas afflicted I went astray. Ps. cxix. 67. Now returned unto the 
Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. 1 Pet. ii. 25. 

THE HEAVENLY SHEPHERD. 

"When in the wilds the heedless sheep would stray, 

And wander careless from the beaten way ; 

In vain the shepherd every art would try 

To make them follow him to pastures high. 

He takes a lamb and bears it up the hill, 

Up the steep path the mother follows still, 

Till in the upland pastures, green and fair, 

The sheep and lambs are safely folded there. 

A shepherd finding one of his flock disposed to 
follow in a wayward or forbidden course, regard- 
less of his repeated calls and warnings, resolves 
upon taking another and severer course, to bring 
the wanderer back to the path of duty and safety. 
The shepherd can see the coming danger, while it 



246 THE BOOK OP 

is hidden from his flock. While wandering in the 
broad pasture, she, it may be, came across pathways 
which led to thickets, forest, or rocky recesses among 
the mountains. She wishes to repose from the heat 
of the day amid these cooling shades, not knowing 
that wild beasts lurk in these coverts for their de- 
struction. 

The faithful and tender shepherd, whose care 
extends to the utmost wayward as well as the 
feeblest of the flock, will, if his warning voice fails 
to stop the wanderer on the forbidden path, run 
after her and takes up her lamb, which runs by her 
side. He takes it to his bosom, and turns in 
another direction. By the instinctive love of her 
offspring, the dam now follows the shepherd, who 
holds the darling in his embrace. By this means 
both are preserved from the destroyer, and brought 
into the fold of safety. 

In like manner, the Heavenly Shepherd watches 
over us, the sheep of his pasture. He often corrects 
us, and in mercy prevents us from pursuing our 
chosen ways, which lead to destruction. When 
nothing else will stop us on our wayward course, 
he will take away some darling and beloved object, 
and thereby turn us to himself. Perhaps God takes 
an idolized child, the dear object of our affections, 
to himself. The world has now lost its charms. 
Where shall the parent now go for comfort but to 
the Heavenly Shepherd ? He carries the lambs in 
his bosom — he is touched with the feeling of our 
infirmities — he took our darling to himself, and will 



SIMILITUDES. 24:1 

he not restore him at the great day, if we follow 
him? 

Yes, verily ! our Divine Shepherd, if we follow 
him and keep his commandments, he will freely 
give us all things. " Like as a father pitieth his 
children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. 
For he knoweth our frame — he remembereth that 
we are but dust." It is true that he may, and does 
afflict us, but we may rest assured it is for our 
good. Says the royal Psalmist, "Before I was 
afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept thy 
word." The Apostle also declares, " Whom the 
Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every 
one that he receiveth, nevertheless, it yieldeth the 
peaceable fruits of righteousness." 

Instead of murmuring, when the Heavenly Shep- 
herd takes one of the lambs to himself, to dwell 
forever in his immediate presence, eternally shut in 
from all harm or danger, would it not more become 
us to rejoice, or at least to submit to the will of the 
Heavenly Shepherd ? The following is a Scottish 
legend : 

" A married couple of the Scottish highlanders 
had thrice lost their only child, each dying at an 
early age. Upon the death of the last, the father 
became boisterous, and uttered his complaints in 
the loudest tones. 

The death of the child happened late in the spring, 
when, in the inhabited straths, sheep were abroad ; 
but from the blasts in that high and stormy region, 
they were still confined in the cot. In a dismal, 



248 THE BOOK OF 

stormy evening, the man, unable to stifle his anguish, 
went out, lamenting aloud, for a lamb to treat his 
friends with at the zoake (or funeral feast.) At the 
door of the cot he found a stranger standing before 
the entrance. He was astonished, in such a night, 
so far from any frequented place ! The stranger 
was plainly attired, but he had a countenance ex- 
pressive of singular mildness and benevolence ; and, 
addressing the father in a sweet impressive voice, 
asked what he did there, amidst the tempest. 

He was filled with awe, which he could not ac- 
count for, and said he came for a lamb. 

" What kind of a lamb do you mean to take ?" 
said the stranger. 

" The very best that I can find," he replied ; " as 
it is to entertain my friends ; and I hope you will 
share of it." 

" Do your sheep make any resistance when you 
take away the lambs ?" 

" Never," was the answer. 

" How differently am I treated," said the traveler, 
" when I come to visit my sheep-fold, I take, as I 
am well entitled to do, the best lamb to myself, 
and my ears are filled with the clamor of discontent 
by these ungrateful sheep, whom I have fed, watch- 
ed, and protected." 

He looked up in amazement, but the vision 

had fled. 

The following story of the Alpine sheep is not 
inappropriate to the foregoing subject. It was 
addressed to a friend by the late Mrs. Lowell, after 



SIMILITUDES. 249 

the death of a child. It relates to the method of 
the shepherd to lead his flock to a new and better 
pasture : 

" They in the valley's sheltering care, 

Soon crop the meadows' tender prime, 

And when the sod grows brown and bare, 

The shepherd tries to make them climb 

To airy shelves of pasture green, 

That hang along the mountain's side, 

Where grass and flowers together lean, 

And down through mist the sunbeams glide. 

But nought can tempt the timid things 

The steep and rugged path to try, 
Though sweet the shepherd calls and sings, 

And seared below the pastures lie. 

Till in his arms his lambs he takes, 

Along the dizzy verge to go, 
Then heedless of the rifts and breaks, 

They follow on o'er rock and snow. 

And in those pastures, lifted fair, 
More dewy-soft than lowland mead, 

The shepherd drops his tender care, 
And sheep and lambs together feed. 



250 



THE BOOK OF 




For they that are. after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh — but they 
they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. Rom. viii. 5. In the 
icorld to coine, life everlasting. Luke xviii. 30. 

THE THREE LIVES. 

See here the wretch, low groveling in the mire, 
Companion of the filthy — no desire 
Beyond the present lifts his soul from earth ; 
He knows no joys, save those of meanest birth ; 
The poison cup he drinks, and deeper roll 
The tides of sin and folly o'er his soul : 
The Life of Nature thus appears to view, 
Herding with swine partakes their groveling too; 
But see, redeemed, a wondrous change appears, 
His eyes are full of penitential tears ; 



SIMILITUDES. 251 

The bow of promise shines before his eyes, 

His arms are lifted toward the smiling skies. 

The dove of peace, with olive branch, behold, 

And near, the shepherd wilh his peaceful fold. 

Sweet emblems these, in which the soul may trace, 

New life begun below, the Life cf Grace. 

See higher still, beside the heavenly gates, 

A starry crown, the ransomed soul awaits, 

And angel legions, in a starry band, 

Their ransomed brother greet with open hand ; 

A Life of Glory thus begun on high, 

Still leading on through vast eternity. 

The engraving represents men in three kinds, or 
modes of life. The lower part shows man in a 
state of nature, generally designated as a state of 
sin, or sinful life. The man is seated, apparently 
at his ease, beside a swine who is wallowing in 
filth. He is in close contact with ferocious and un- 
clean animals, and has the cup of intoxication in 
his hand. The scene immediately above, shows 
man in a state, or life of grace. On one hand is 
seen a dove, with an olive branch ; on the other, a 
flock, emblems of peace, purity, and Christ's flock. 
The man's arms are extended as in prayer, and the 
rainbow of promise just before him. In the upper 
part of the engraving, the man appears in a state 
or life of glory. Having obtained the victory, he 
is crowned — he is introduced into the society of 
angels, and is going still upward into the presence 
of Deity. 

The natural man is he who lives after the flesh ; 
that is, he places his supreme happiness in the things 
of the world, and lives to gratify the desires of the 
flesh, the desire of the eye, or the pride of life. 
Many live merely to dress and visit, talk, eat, drink, 



252 THE BOOK OF 

and rise up to play. Many have no higher aspira- 
tions than mere swine, and brutalize their minds 
and bodies. Some are like wild beasts, fighting 
and devouring each other. A blindness comes 
over their minds, and they feel secure, being blind 
to the dangers to which they are exposed. They 
have no fear of God, because they knew him not. 

Immediately above the natural man, is seen the 
Christian, or he who is existing in a life of grace. 
He looks upwards, and walks by faith. His affec- 
tions are set on things above, and not on things of 
the earth. His life of grace commences when he 
turns from sin unto holiness. " That which is born 
of the Spirit is spirit." As the effect of his natural 
birth introduces him into a state of sin, the effect 
of this new birth is to make him holy. He loves 
what before he hated, and hates what before he 
loved. Laying hold of the promises of God, he 
sees with an eye of faith his eternal inheritance. 
Having such a view of the future, visible things, by 
which he is surrounded, appear comparatively of 
small value, as they see things here are but tempo- 
ral, passing away like a shadow — but a life of glory 
is eternal. 

The life of glory is entered at death by him who 
has been prepared for it, by a life of grace in the 
present world. In fact, it is a blessed consumma- 
tion of that spiritual, or gracious life, which was 
kindled up in the soul when on the earth. He re- 
views the crown of life everlasting, and is attended 
by a convoy of angelic beings, who are sent to 



SIMILITUDES. 253 

minister to the heirs of salvation. The emblem of 
the Deity, (one in three, and three in one,) with 
radiations of glory, is seen above, showing that 
God will forever dwell with his people. Palms of 
victory are waving to show that they have over- 
come the world, and are received as conquerors 
through him that hath loved them, and gave him- 
self for them : their robes are washed, and made 
white in the blood of the Lamb. 

In this life of glory, they are before the throne 
of God, and serve him day and night in his temple ; 
the Lord Jesus, enthroned in glory, will communi- 
cate to his people every thing calculated to secure, 
continue, and increase their happiness. He will 
lead them into living fountains of water, constantly 
boiling up, and running on. 

" By these perpetual fountains" says a writer, 
happiness, which Jesus Christ will open out of his 
"we are to understand endless sources of comfort and 
own infinite plenitude to all glorified souls. These 
eternal living fountains will make an infinite variety 
in the enjoyments of the blessed. There will be 
no sameness, and consequently no cloying with the 
perpetual enjoyments of the same things ; every 
moment will open a new source of pleasure, instruc- 
tion, and improvement — they shall make an eternal 
progression into the fulness of God." 

" As God is infinite, so his attributes are infinite ; 

and throughout infinity more and more of those 

attributes will be discovered ; and the discovery 

of each will be a new foundation, or source of plea- 

22 



254 THE BOOK OP 

sure or enjoyment. These sources must be open- 
ing through all eternity; and yet, through all 
eternity, there will still remain, in the absolute 
perfections of the Godhead, an infinity of them to 
be opened !" Hence it is, that the Christian in the 
progress of his history, lives three lives — first a life 
of sense, or nature ; then a life of faith ; and lastly, 
and eternally, a life of glory. 

Dr. Doddridge, the pious author of a commentary 
on the New Testament, and several other valuable 
religious works, spent many happy hours in reli- 
gious conversation with Dr. Clarke, an intimate 
friend. Among other matters, a very favorite topic 
was the intermediate state of the soul, and they 
probably thought that at the instant of dissolution, 
it was not immediately introduced into the pres 
ence of all the Heavenly host, or into the full glory 
of the Heavenly state. One evening, after a con 
versation of this nature, Dr. Doddridge retired to 
rest, with his mind full of the subject discussed, 
and in " the visions of the night," while the eyes 
of the body were closed in sleep, he, in a certain 
sense, passed into another life, and by another 
power, as yet unknown to mortals, he saw, heard, 
and acted. 

In his dream, he was at the house of his friend, 
where he was suddenly taken ill. By degrees, he 
seemed to himself to grow worse, and at last to ex- 
pire. In an instant, he was sensible that he had 
passed into another and higher state of existence. 
He had exchanged a state of mortality and suffer- 



SIMILITUDES. 255 

ing, to one of immortality and happiness. Em- 
bodied in an aerial form, he seemed to float in a 
region of pure light. There was nought to be seen 
below but the melancholy group of his friends, 
weeping around his lifeless remains. Himself thrill- 
ed with joy, he was surprised at their tears, and 
attempted to inform them of his happy change, but 
by some mysterious power utterance was denied — 
he rose silently upon the air, and their forms grad- 
ually receded from his sight. 

While in golden clouds, he found himself swiftly 
mounting the skies with a venerable figure at his 
side, guiding his mysterious movements, in whose 
countenance he remarked the lineaments of youth 
and old age blended together, with an intimate 
harmony and majestic sweetness. They traveled 
together through a vast space, until at length the 
towers of a glorious edifice appeared in the distance, 
and as its form rose brilliant and distinct among 
the far off shadows across their path, the guide 
informed him that the palace he beheld was, for the 
present, to be his mansion of rest. Shortly they 
were at the door, where they entered. The guide 
introduced him into a spacious apartment, at the 
extremity of which stood a table, covered with a 
snow-white cloth, a golden cup, and a cluster of 
grapes, and then said he must now leave him, but 
that he must remain, for he would receive in a short 
time a visit from the Lord of the mansion, and that 
during the interval before his arrival the apartment 
would furnish him with sufficient entertainment and 



256 THE BOOK OF 

instruction. The guide vanished, and he was left 
alone. He began to examine the decorations of 
the room, and observed that the walls were adorn- 
ed with a number of pictures. Upon nearer in- 
spection he found to his astonishment that they 
formed a complete biography of his own life. Here 
he saw upon the canvass that angels, though un- 
seen, had ever been his familiar attendants, and 
sent by God, they had sometimes preserved him 
from imminent peril. He beheld himself first rep- 
resented as an infant just expiring, when his life 
was prolonged by an angel breathing into his nos" 
trils. Most of the occurrences delineated were 
perfectly familiar to his recollection, and unfolded 
many things which he had never before understood, 
and which had perplexed him with many doubts 
and much uneasiness. 

Among others he was particularly struck with a 
picture in which he was represented as falling from 
his horse, when death would have been inevitable 
had not an angel received him in his arms, and 
broken the force of his descent. These merciful 
interpositions of God filled him with joy and grat- 
itude, and his heart overflowed with love as he 
surveyed in them all an exhibition of goodness and 
mercy far beyond all that he had imagined. Sud- 
denly his attention was arrested by a rap at the 
door. The Lord of the mansion had arrived. The 
door opened and he entered. So powerful and so 
overwhelming, and withal of such singular beauty 
was his appearance, that he sunk down at his feet 



SIMILITUDES. 257 

completely overcome by his majestic appearance. 
His Lord gently raised him from the ground, and 
taking his hand led him forward to the table. He 
pressed with his finger the juice of the grapes into 
the golden cup, and after having himself drank, pre- 
sented to him, saying, " This is the new wine in 
my Father's kingdom." No sooner had he par- 
taken than all uneasy sensation vanished, perfect 
love had cast out fear, and he conversed with his 
Saviour as an intimate friend. Like the silver rip- 
pling of a summer sea, he heard from his lips the 
grateful approbation, "Thy labors are over, thy 
work is approved, rich and glorious is the reward." 
Thrilled with an unspeakable bliss, that glided 
over his spirit and slid into the very depths of his 
soul, he suddenly saw glories upon glories bursting 
upon his view. The doctor awoke. Tears of rap- 
ture from his joyful interview were rolling down 
his cheeks. Long did the lively impressions of his 
charming dream remain upon his mind, and never 
could he speak of it without emotions of joy and 
tenderness. 



258 



THE BOOK OP 



wmM 



lillllll 



m 




Let not the water-flood overflow me. . . . let not the pit shut her month 
upon me, . . . and hide not thy face . . . for I am in trouble— hear 
me speedily. Ps. lxix. 15. 17. To givs light to them that sit in darkness, 
and in the shadow of death. Luke i. 79. 

TERROR OF SIN— JOY OF SALVATION! 

Deep in the cavern's gloom of rayless night, 
No sound of life without, no gleam of light, 
The waters gathering round with icy chill, 
"What terrors now their anxious bosoms fill! 
On every hand, they look for aid in vain, 
One voice alone their sinking souls sustain : 
Darkness around, above, below the wave ; 
They call on God, for God alone can save. 
They call aloud, thej strain the listening ear, 
At last far, distant, glimmering lights appear ; 
Deliverance comes, like sunshine through the gloom, 
And leads them safely through their living tomb. 

The celebrated Mammoth Cave of Kentucky, 
about ninety miles south-west from Louisville, in 
that State, has long been an object of curiosity to 
travelers. It is said to extend thirteen miles into 
the bowels of the earth. It consists of a kind of 



SIMILITUDES. 259 

labyrinth of passages, magnificent chambers, several 
rivers or streams, the largest of which is about a 
quarter of a mile in width, and deep enough to 
float a large steamboat. This stream is about five 
miles from the entrance of the cave, and pursues 
its dark and solitary course, which the adventurous 
visitor is compelled to navigate in a boat. 

" On one occasion," says a recent writer, " a party 
of young men, under the conduct of a guide, and 
suitably provided with torches, spent some hours 
in exploring this cavern, and while floating over 
this subterraneous stream in their frail boat, gave 
a loose rein to their exuberant spirits, and laughed 
and sung until they made the overhanging arches 
echo with their merriment. In thoughtlessness 
they rocked the boat from side to side, when in a 
moment it was capsized, and they were thrown 
into the dark waters. The boat floated from them, 
their torches were extinguished, they were in im- 
penetrable darkness, and far from human aid. Al- 
though regaining their feet, they were submerged 
nearly to their necks, and alarmed and chilled, they 
felt that their exertions could avail nothing for their 
rescue. 

The guide, with ready presence of mind, swam 
round them, encouraged them to retain their self- 
possession, and warned them of the certain peril 
of moving a single step. They were told that their 
only hope was in remaining still until the other 
guide, after the lapse of hours might become alarm- 
ed at their long absence and come to their rescue. 



260 THE BOOK OF 

Can imagination picture a more frightful scene 
than was here presented; midnight darkness en- 
veloped them, the cold waters chilled their blood, 
no cries for aid could be heard by those without, 
they might have to wait for many hours before the 
alarmed fears of their friends would stimulate them 
to send help, their strength in the meantime might 
fail, and they be floated away on the dark river of 
death without leaving a vestige to tell their fate ! 
What could they do ? Lately gay and joyous, how 
sad and terrible their situation now ! What ! could 
they not make one effort for their safety ? Not 
one. They could only pray, and pray they did, 
with deep earnestness, as men doomed to death 
from which an Almighty power alone could deliver 
them. They were heard and sustained. 

At length, after a weary waiting, they descry a 
glimmering light, and then they hear the faint 
strokes of distant oars. They almost fear to trust 
their senses ; they doubt, they fear, but they are 
not deceived ; their deliverer appears ; they are 
received into his boat exhausted with terror and 
fatigue, and soon they are conveyed to a place of 
safety. The sudden revulsion of feeling over- 
powers them. They alternately weep, and are 
transported with joy. They are saved. 

Have we no companion for this picture ? Yes, 
it is but a resemblance of another still more thrill- 
ing. The sinner in his gayety and thoughtlessness 
dreams not of danger. He laughs with the merry. 
He is enchanted with the scenes around him. Sud- 



SIMILITUDES. 261 

denly he finds himself in deep waters and surround- 
ed by thick darkness. His struggles to extricate 
himself only involve him in greater danger. Horror 
overspreads his mind. Each moment threatens to 
plunge him into ruin. He cries aloud, but hears 
only the frightful echo of his own despairing shout. 
He feels his utter helplessness, and in his extremity 
pours out his tears and prayers. 

How horrible thus to perish ! But no, a small 
voice whispers in his ear, there is yet hope ! He 
waits, but how tedious are the passing hours ! Each 
moment seems an age. He is ready to abandon 
hope, when a cheering light strikes upon his eye, 
and the voice of encouragement is heard — his heart 
is re-assured. One mighty to save appears, and 
soon he is rescued from the deep waters. The 
light of a glorious day shines upon his soul, he feels 
— and he is transported at the feeling — he feels 
that he is saved. Sinner, have you felt no such 
terrors ? You have cause to feel them. The dan- 
der is just as imminent whether you are sensible 
of it or not; and if you are not driven to this 
extremity here, you may expect to feel it in that 
world where there is no Saviour, and where all will 
be irretrievably lost. " We then as workers togeth- 
er with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not 
the grace of God in vain." 



262 



THE BOOK OF 




Man dieth and wasteth away. Job xiv. 10. The glory of man is as the 
flower of the grass. 1 Pet. i. 24. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth. 
Iaa. xl. 6. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Eccl. i. 2. 

END OF HUMAN GREATNESS. 

Behold the end of human greatness now, 
Low to the dust is laid the lofty brow 
Of princely pride a skeleton remains, 
'lis common dust, the broken sword and chains 
That once enslaved mankind, have lost their power: 
Broken the glass that told his triumph hour, 
The crumbling monuments bespeak decay, 
The ruined towers, the sun's declining ray, 
Shattered the oak, that once the storm defied, 
Scattered the rose-leaves in their beauteous pride, 
Ah ! such is human life ! its end is death, 
Its glories scattered by a passing breath. 

The engraving annexed is emblematic of the 

frailty and end of human greatness, and the vanity 



SIMILITUDES. 263 

of sublunary things. In the foreground is the skel 
eton, perhaps of some mighty warrior who has 
been the terror of mankind, and has received the 
homage of nations. He lies prostrate, and it would 
be difficult to distinguish his remains from those of 
a common beggar. His sword, and the chains by 
which he enslaved mankind, are broken ; the hour 
glass is also broken, showing that time with him 
is no longer. The very monuments which have 
been raised to perpetuate the remembrance of the 
mighty dead are crumbling. Other objects are seen 
in the background ; the splendid palace and strong 
towers are fast becoming a heap of rubbish ; the 
sturdy oak is broken, the beauteous rose, with its 
bright leaves, are scattered on the gronnd, the set- 
ting sun behind the desolate city, are all emblem- 
atic of the vanity and end of human greatness. 

" Time," says Dr. Watts, " like a long-flowing 
stream, makes haste into eternity, and is forever 
lost and swallowed up there ; and while it is has- 
tening to its period, it sweeps away all things 
which are not immortal. There is a limit appointed 
by Providence to the duration of all the works of 
men, with all the glories and excellences of animal 
nature, and all that is made of flesh and blood. Let 
us not doat upon anything here below, for heaven 
has inscribed vanity upon it. The moment is has- 
tening when the decree of heaven shall be uttered, 
and Providence shall pronounce upon every glory 
of the earth, its time shall be no longer. 

"What is that stately building, that princely 



264 THE BOOK OF 

palace, which now entertains and amuses our sight 
with ranks of marble columns and wide-spreading 
arches, that gay edifice which enriches our admira- 
tion with a thousand royal ornaments and a profu- 
sion of costly and glittering furniture ? Time and 
all its circling hours with a swift wing are brush- 
ing it away ; decay steals upon it insensibly, and a 
few years hence it shall lie in mouldering ruin and 
desolation. Unhappy possessor, if he has no bet- 
ter inheritance ? 

" What have we mortals to be proud of in our 
present state, when every human glory is so fugi- 
tive and fading ? Let the brightest and best of us 
say to ourselves that we are but dust and vanity. 
Is my body formed upon a graceful model ? Are 
my lirubs and my complexion better colored than 
my neighbors ? Beauty, even in perfection, is of 
the shortest date ; a few years will inform me that 
its bloom vanishes, its flower withers, its luster 
grows dim, its duration shall be no longer ; and if 
life be prolonged, yet the pride and glory of it is 
forever lost in age and wrinkles ; or, perhaps, our 
vanity meets a speedier fate. Death and the grave, 
with a sovereign and irresistible command, sum- 
mon the brightest as well as the coarsest pieces of 
human nature to lie down early in their cold em- 
braces, and mix together in corruption. 

" Even those more ennobling powers of human 
life, which seem to have something angelical in 
them, I mean the powers of mind, imagination, 
&c, these are subject to the same laws of decay 



SIMILITUDES. 265 

and death. What though they can raise and ani- 
mate beautiful scenes in a moment, and, in imitation 
of creating power, can spread bright appearances 
and new worlds before the senses and souls of 
their friends ? What though they can entertain 
the better part of mankind, the refined and polite 
world, with high delight and rapture? These 
scenes of rapturous delight grow flat and old by 
frequent review, and the very powers that raised 
them to grow feeble and apace. What though 
they can give immortal applause and fame to their 
possessors ? It is but the immortality of an empty 
name, a mere succession of the breath of men ; and 
it is a short sort of immortality, too, which must 
die and perish when this world perishes. A poor 
shadow of duration, indeed, while the real period 
of these powers is hastening every day ; they lan- 
guish and die as fast as animal nature, which has a 
large share in them, makes haste to its decay ; and 
the time of their exercise shall shortly be no more." 
" In vain the aged poet or the painter would call 
np the muse and genius of their youth and sum- 
mon all the arts of their imagination to spread and 
dress out some imaginary scene ; in vain the elegant 
orator would recall the bold and masterly figures, 
and all those flowery images which gave ardor, 
grace and dignity to his younger composures and 
charmed every ear ; they are gone, they are- fied 
beyond the reach of their owner's call ; their time 
is past, they are vanished, and lost beyond all hope 
of recovery.'' 



266 THE book or 

"Death," says Saurin, "puts an end to the most 
specious titles, to the most dazzling grandeur, and 
to the most delicious life. The thought of this pe- 
riod of human glory reminds me of the memora- 
ble action of a prince, who, although he was a 
heathen, was wiser than many Christians ; I mean 
the great Saladin. After he had subdued Egypt, 
passed the Euphrates, and conquered cities without 
number ; after he had retaken Jerusalem, and per- 
formed exploits almost more than human in those 
wars which superstition had stirred up for the re- 
covery of the Holy Land, he finished his life in the 
performance of an action that ought to be trans- 
mitted to the most distant posterity." 

"A moment before he uttered his last sigh, 
he called the herald who had carried his banner 
before him in all his battles ; he commanded him 
to fasten to the top of the lance the shroud in 
which the dying prince was soon to be buried. 
* Go,' said he, ' carry the lance, unfurl the banner ; 
and while you lift up this standard, proclaim — This 
is all that remains to Saladin the Great, of all his 
glory: " Christians, (says Saurin,) I perform to- 
day the office of this herald ; I fasten to the staff 
of a spear, sensual and intellectual pleasures, wordly 
riches and human honors. All these I reduce to 
the piece of crape in which you will soon be buried. 
This standard of earth I lift up in your sight, and 
cry — this, this is all that will remain to you of the 
possessions for which you exchanged your souls." 

Philip, King of Macedon, as he was wrestling at 



SIMILITUDES. 267 

the Olympic games, fell down in the sand ; and, 
when he rose again, seeing the print of his body in 
the sand, cried out, " O, how little a parcel of earth 
will hold us when we are dead who are are ambi- 
tiously seeing after the world while we are living. 

" "Where are the mighty thnnderbolts of war, 
The Roman Csesars and the Grecian chiefs, 
The boast of story 1 "Where the hot-brained youth 
Who the tiara, at his pleasure, toro 
From kings of all the the then discovered globe ; 
And cried forsooth because his arm was hampered 
And had not room enough to do his work 1 
Alas ! how slim, dishonorably slim, 
And crammed into a space we blush to name." 

Where now is Babylon, with its hundred gates 
of solid brass ? its hanging gardens, its walls three 
hundred feet high ? Where are Tyre, the queen 
city of the ocean, and Carthage, with its dominion' 
over three hundred cities ? Where are the other 
mighty cities cf antiquity once so famous upon 
earth? What, indeed, are these visible heavens, 
these lower skies, and this globe of earth ! They 
are, indeed, the glorious workmanship of the Al- 
mighty. But they are waxing old and waiting 
their period, too, when the angel shall pronounce 
upon them that Time shall be no more ! The heav- 
ens shall be folded up as a vesture, the elements of 
the lower world shall melt with fervent heat, and 
all the works therof shall be burnt up with fire. 

" The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces, 
The solemn temples, the great globe itself! 
Yea, all which it inhabit shall dissolve, 
And, like the baseless fabric of a vision, 
Leave not a wreck behind! " 



268 



THE BOOK OF 




And many of them that s^eep in the dust of the earth shall awake — some t» 
shame and everlasting contempt. Dan. sii. 2. And these shall go away 
unto everlasting punishment. Matt. xxv. 46. 

THE FUTURE OF THE WICKED. 

See from their graves the guilty sinners start, 
Wakened to hear the awful doom, — " Depart I" 
Depart from heaven, and all the joys above, 
Ye who despise the calls of heavenly love. 
Behold the Father, now a Judge become, 
Before whose wrath the guilty soul is dumb. 
The blessed Savior now averts his face, 
Offers no more his mercy and his grace, 
Back to their graves the wicked fain would fly, 
Nor dare to meet the judge's angry eye, 



SIMILITUDES. 269 

Lost ! lost, forever 1 all the joys of heaven 
Reserved for those, whose sins are forgiven, 
Down to the land of black despair they go 
Eternal prisoners in the realms of woe. 

The final Judge of all, sitting on the throne of 
judgment, will gather before him both the Rights 
eous and the Wicked, the small and great of all na- 
tions, to receive according to the works done in 
this life. At the voice of the last trumpet, it is de- 
clared by him who cannot lie, the dead shall be 
raised, " They that have done good unto the resur- 
rection of life, they that have done evil unto the 
resurrection of damnation." 

The wicked rise from their graves ; terror struck 
at the sight of their Judge whose face is against 
them, call on rocks and mountains to hide them 
from his presence, instead of seeing the bow of 
promise in the clouds, they see one of condem- 
nation ; instead of being light and brilliant, it is 
one of darkness, on which the doom of the wicked 
is set forth by the declaration, " The wicked shall 
be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget 
God." Instead of ministering angels, as a convoy to 
the heavenly regions above, the destroying angel 
appears with the sword of vengeance, to drive 
them into the flames of perdition prepared for the 
devil and his angels. 

That there is a place of punishment for the wick- 
ed after death, seems to have been acknowledged 
in all ages, among all countries and nations. Heath- 
ens, and even savages, have in their religious 
creed, a place of torment for the wicked. This im- 



270 THE BOOK OF 

portant truth seems to be positively set forth in 
many places on the pages of Divine Revelation 
In the account given us of Dives and Lazarus, it is 
stated that the rich man died and was buried, and 
in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment. In 
whatever light this account is viewed, the great 
truth of future punishment after death, cannot be 
successfully controverted. Even if viewed in the 
light of a parable, as some few contend, it conveys 
the same truth as if it was a real history. Either 
a man may live as is here described, and go to per- 
dition when he dies ; or some have lived in this 
way, and are now suffering torment in the flames 
of hell. 

The future punishment of the wicked consists in 
what they have lost, and in what they feel. In the 
case of the rich man, as he entered the other world, 
it is stated that he lifted up his eyes, being in tor- 
ment. He sees Lazarus afar off in Abraham's bosom, 
clothed with glory and immortality. This seems 
the first circumstance in the punishment. We 
safely conclude that the view which lost souls have 
in the gulf of perdition of the happiness of the 
blessed, and the conviction that they might have 
eternally enjoyed this felicity, from which, by their 
own fault, they are eternally excluded, will form no 
small part of the punishment of the lost. 

" The punishment of the lost," says one, " com- 
mences that very moment wherein the soul is sepa- 
rated from the body — in that instant the soul loses 
all those pleasures, the enjoyment of which depend 



SIMILITUDES. 271 

on the outward senses. The taste, the touch de_ 
light no more ; the organs that ministered to them 
are spoiled, and the objects which used to gratify 
them are removed far away. In the dreary regions 
of the dead, all these things are forgotten ; or if 
remembered, are only remembered with pain ; see- 
ing they are gone forever. All the pleasures of the 
imagination are at an end. Nor is there any thing 
to gratify the sense of honor ; no, they are the heirs 
of shame and everlasting contempt." 

It is stated that in the future punishment of the 
wicked, " their worm dieth not, and the fire is not 
quenched." " The first thing intended by the worm 
that never dieth," says an able writer, " seems 
to be a guilty conscience ; including self-condemna- 
tion, sorrow, shame, remorse, and a sense of the 
wrath of God. May we not have some conception 
of this by what is sometimes felt, even in this pres- 
ent world ? Is it not this, chiefly, that Solomon 
speaks, when he says, " The spirit of a man may 
bear his infirmities, but a wounded spirit who can 
bear ? Who can bear the anguish of an awakened 
conscience, penetrated with a sense of guilt, and 
the arrows of the Almighty sticking in the soul, 
and drinking up the spirit! How many of the 
stout hearted have sunk under it, and chose stran- 
gling rather than life! And yet what are the 
wounds, what is all this anguish of a soul in this 
present world, in comparison of those they must 
suffer when their souls are wholly awakened to feel 
the wrath of an offended God ! Add to these all 



272 THE BOOK OF 

unholy passions ; fear, horror, rage, evil desires ; 
desires that can never be satisfied. Add all un- 
holy tempers ; envy, jealousy, malice and revenge, 
all of which will gnaw the soul like vultures. To 
these if we add hatred of God, and all his creatures ; 
all these united together may serve to give us 
some imperfect idea of the worm that never dieth." 

44 But what," says one describing the company 
of the wicked, " are the most abandoned wretches 
upon earth, compared to the inhabitants of hell ? 
None of these are as yet, perfectly wicked, empt- 
ied of every spark of good ; certainly not until life 
is at an end ; probably not until after the day of 
judgment. Nor can any of these exert, without 
control, their whole wickedness upon their fellow 
creatures. Sometimes they are restrained by good 
men ; sometimes even by bad. — And very frequent- 
ly, when there is no human help, the wicked are 
restrained by God, who hath set them their bounds 
which they cannot pass, and saith, " Hitherto shall 
ye come and no farther." — But the inhabitants of 
hell are perfectly wicked, having no spark of good- 
ness remaining. And they are restrained by none 
from exerting to their utmost their total wicked- 
ness. Not by men; none will be restrained from 
evil by his companions in damnation ; and not by 
God, for he hath delivered them to the tormen- 
tors." 

The torments of the wicked in their future state 
are without intermission, for the " smoke of their 
torment ascendeth up day and night." Here we 



SIMILITUDES. 273 

seldom undergo much labor, or suffer much pain 
before 

" Tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep," 

steals upon us by insensible degrees, and brings an 
interval of ease, but the lost have no interruption 
of pain. The inhabitants are frequently diverted 
from attending to what is afflictive by the cheerful 
light of the sun, the vicissitudes of the seasons, 
"the busy hum of men," and a thousand objects 
that roll round them in great variety. But the 
wicked in their future state have nothing to divert 
them from their torments. 

The impossibility of escaping from their place of 
torment, is an overwhelming consideration in the 
punishment of the wicked. It is declared that 
there is a " great gulf fixed " between the right- 
eous and the wicked. The eternal purpose of God 
formed on the principles of eternal reason, sepa- 
rate their persons and places of abode, so that there 
can be no intercourse, — they toho wish to pass over 
hence to you, cannot ; neither can they pass over 
who would come from you hither. A happy spirit 
cannot go from heaven to alleviate their miseries ; 
nor can any of them escape from the place of their 
confinement, to enter among the blessed. " There 
may be a discovery from Hell of the Paradise of 
the blessed ; but there can be no connecting inter- 
course." 

The moment the soul leaves the body it passes 
into another state of existence, either of happiness 
or misery. " It will have full in its view either 



274 THE BOOK OF 

everlasting joy or torment ; as it appears to be no 
longer possible for us to be deceived in the judg- 
ment we pass upon ourselves. The dying thief 
when about expiring on the cross, prayed our Lord 
to remember him when he came into his kingdom. 
In answer to his request, he received the blessed 
assurance that he would that very day be with him 
in Paradise. 

On the other hand, those who die in impenitence 
■and unbelief, where Christ is, they cannot come, 
and consequently are in a state of misery. It is 
true we cannot describe the mode of the existence 
of the Soul separated from the body ; but that we 
can so exist, we have demonstration in the fact 
that when we are asleep we see, hear, and act 
without the aid ©f our eyes, ears and limbs. 

According to the testimony of various scrip- 
tures, it appears that the wicked are reserved in 
chains unto the judgment of the great day, the 
time of the final judgment, when angels and men 
shall receive their eternal doom. There will at the 
last day be a resurrection of the bodies both of the 
just and unjust / the Judge will say unto the wick- 
ed, " Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting 
€re, prepared for the devil and his angels." The 
devil and his angels sinned before the creation of 
the world, and the place of torment was then pre- 
pared for them ; and as the wicked are partakers 
with the devil and his angels in their rebellion, 
against God, so it is right that they should bo 
shares with them in their punishment. 



SIMILITUDES 



275- 




All that are in their graves shall hear his voice ; they that have done good 
unto the resur ection of life. John v. 29. And so shall we ever be with the 
Lord. 1 Thess. iv. 17. 

THE FUTURE OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 

Bright Future! opening to the good man's eyes, 
The bow of promise spans the glorious skies,' 
In snowy robes arrayed, the shining throngs 
Of earth's redeemed, fill heaven with joyful songs. 
While from the skies the angel floating down, 
Displays before his eyes the starry crown, 
And glittering legions flitting heaven's high dome, 
Swell forth the joyful summons, welcome home I 

The final Judge of all men is represented in the 
Scriptures as coming in the clouds of heaven, at 



276 THE BOOK OP 

tended by angelic hosts. When seated on the 
throne of his glory, all nations shall be gathered 
before him. The bow seen in the cloud, shows that 
the Almighty is a covenant-keeping God, and will 
surely fulfill all his promises. The righteous dead, 
bursting their tombs, will arise with joy at the sum- 
mons of the last trumpet. Clad in celestial robes, 
they ascend on high — the ministering angel dis- 
plays the crown of immortality, the sure inheri- 
tance of every believer. 

The existence of the righteous and the wicked, 
in a future state, has been, by Divine Revelation, 
placed beyond all doubt. God hath promised eter- 
nal life to the righteous. Heaven is to be considered 
as a place as well as state, in accordance to what 
is stated in John xiv. 2, 3. — "In my Father's house 
there are many mansions ; if it were not so I would 
have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." 
The existence of the body of Christ, and those of 
Enoch and Elijah, is a further proof of it. For if 
it be not a place, where can these bodies be ? and 
where will the bodies of the saints exist after the 
resurrection ? Some suppose that this earth, after 
it is refined and purified, will be the dwelling-place 
of the righteous. " The new heavens and the new 
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness," is thought 
will correspond with the Garden of Eden, as it first 
came from the hands of the Creator. 

Heaven, wherever located, will be a place of in- 
expressible felicity. It is called u a paradise," a 
M building and mansion of God," " a city, a better 



SIMILITUDES. 277 

country," " an inheritance, a kingdom, a crown." 
It is described as a place, or state, of rest, peace, 
"joy in the Lord, glory, &c." The felicity of 
heaven will consist in freedom from all evil, both 
of soul and body, in the enjoyment of God as the 
chief good, in company of angels and saints, and in 
perfect holiness. In this prospect, the Christian ex- 
claims, 

" O glorious hour! blest abode ! 
I shall be near and like my God ! 
And flesh and sin no more control 
The sacred pleasures of the soul." 

A question is sometimes proposed, "Will the 
righteous know each other in heaven ?" The argu- 
ments generally brought forward to sustain the 
fact that it will be so, are taken from the instances 
recorded in Scripture, in which persons who have 
never seen one another before, have immediately 
known each other in this world by a divine reve- 
lation. We read that at the transfiguration of our 
Lord, Peter, James and John, knew Moses and 
Elias, as appears from Peter's making a particular 
mention of them — " Let us make three tabernacles > 
one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias !" 
— though he had never seen them before. 

Our Saviour, in the parable, represents the rich 
man as seeing Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in 
his bosom, and speaks of him as addressing his dis- 
course to him. Paul says : " What is our hope or 
joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the 
presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming ? 
for ye are our glory and joy." 
24 



278 THE BOOK OF 

The change to be made in the bodies of the 
righteous will consist chiefly in three things : 

1. The body shall he raised immortal and incorruptible. 
2. It will be raised in glory. 3. It will be raised in power. 

I. — "When this corruptible shall put on ineorruption, we 
shall not be subject to sickness, or pain, "the redemption of 
our bodies," signifies that we shall be perfectly free from all 
bodily evils, which sin has brought into the world. 

2. — Our bodies shall be raised in glory, for it is said " Then 
shall the righteous shine as the sun in the kingdom of their 
Father." A resemblance of this, we have in the luster of 
Moses' face, when he had conversed with God on the mount. 
When the martyr Stephen was before the council at Jerusalem 
they " saw his face as it had been the face of an angel." When 
Peter and his companions saw our Lord's face on the mount 
of Transfiguration, it shone like the sun, and his raiment be- 
came white as snow. Peter was transported with joy and 
admiration. The unspeakable joy that we shall then feel, 
will shine forth in our countenances. 

3. — The bodies of the righteous " shall be raised in power." 
This expresses the sprightliness of our heavenly bodies, the 
nimbleness of their motion, by which they shall be obedient 
and able instruments of the soul. This earthly body is slow 
and heavy in all its motions, listless, and soon tired with ac- 
tion. But our heavenly bodies will be as aetive and nimble 
as our thoughts are. Our bodies being spiritual will serve 
our spirits and minister to them ; whereas now our spirits are 
forced to serve our bodies, and to attend to their leisure, and 
do greatly depend upon them for our actions. When the 
righteous enter the glorious future, their bodies will be puri- 
fied and refined from earthly grossness, and every power find 
sweet employ, while ceaseless ages roll ! 



SIMILITUDES. 279 

THE HERMIT; 

OR 

THE WAYS OF PROVIDENCE JUSTIFIED. 

[Somewhat varied from the " Hermit," by Parnell.] 




"Far in a wild, unknown to public view, 
From youth to age a reverend hermit grew ; 
The moss his bed — the cave his humble cell, 
His food the fruits, his drink the crystal well. 
Remote from man, with God he passed his days, 
Prayer all his business, all his pleasure praise." 

In a far distant country, and at a remote period 
of time, there retired from the busy scenes of the 
world a young man, who spent the remainder of 
his days as a hermit. Having, in the morning of 
life, met with severe affliction from the hands of his 
fellow-men, he resolved to have no more fellowship 
with them, but to seek his happiness in the per- 
formance of religious duties. For this purpose he 



280 THE BOOK OP 

retired to a kind of cave, in a mountainous part of 
the country, which, with a little labor, he converted 
into a comfortable habitation. A sparkling rill fell 
near the door of his cot, from the rocky heights 
above, and gave him an ample supply of pure and 
cold water. A small but beautiful plat of ground 
lay directly in front, which, by cultivation, afforded 
him an abundant supply of food. A small flock, 
of which he was a kind shepherd, supplied him with 
clothing. 

A life thus spent, gave a calm, serene, and heav- 
enly repose, which would probably have continued 
through life, had it not been for the accidental visit 
of a traveler, who gave him an account of the state 
of the world, and, in particular, how wickedness 
prevailed, how wicked men apparently prospered, 
and also, how the cause of righteousness was tram- 
pled down in the earth ; and how often good men 
suffered from the violence and persecution of the 
wicked. The hermit was astonished, and hardly 
knew what to think. Doubts sprung up in his mind 
whether a Divine Providence did really govern the 
world or not. He was disturbed ; the even tenor 
of his soul was lost, and he felt unhappy. 

" So when a smooth expanse receives impressed, 
Calm nature's image on its watery breast, 
Down bend the banks, the trees impending grow, 
And skies beneath with answering colors glow. 
But if a stone the gentle sea divide, 
Swift ruffling circles curl on every side ; 
And glimmering fragments of a broken sun ; 
Banks, trees, and skies in thick disorder run." 

To clear his doubts on this perplexing subject, 



SIMILITUDES. 281 

the hermit resolved to travel and see for himself, 
if the world was so badly governed as had been 
represented. He, accordingly, commenced his jour- 
ney with the rising sun, and passed through long 
and lonesome wilds, before he approached the ha- 
bitations of men. As the sun approached midway 
of the heavens, 

"A youth came posting o'er a crossing way 
His raiment decent, his complexion, fair, 
And soft, in graceful ringlets, fell his hair ; 
Then, near approaching, Father, hail ! he cried ; 
And hail, my son ! the reverend sire replied ; 
Words followed words, from question answer flowed, 
And talk of various kinds deceived the road ; 
Till each with other pleased, and loath to part 
While in their age they differ, joined in heart, 
Thus stands an aged elm in ivy bound, 
Thus youthful ivy clasps an elm around." 

The two travelers were so much pleased with 
each other that they determined to continue their 
journey together. The youth appeared to possess 
knowledge far beyond his years. The hermit being 
very desirous to know the reason, or cause, of every 
thing he saw about him, continually kept asking 
questions. His companion finally told him, if he 
would keep silent on this particular subject, he 
would explain all things to his satisfaction when 
they arrived at the end of their journey. 

The hermit and his companion passed pleasantly 
along till the closing hour of day, and when the 
busy world was sinking into repose, they drew near 
a stately palace. By the light of the moon, they 
traversed the pathway adorned with shrubbery and 
flowers — tall and graceful trees stood in ranks 



282 THE BOOK OF 

around. The master of the mansion made his house 
the wandering stranger's home ; yet his kindness 
arose, in some degree at least, from a thirst of hu- 
man applause. When the pair arrived at the gate, 
they found attentive servants, with their lord, in 
attendance waiting to receive them. They were 
conducted to a table loaded with rich and costly 
food, and they were pressed to partake of the va- 
rious delicacies. When the hour of rest arrived, 
they were conducted to the elegant eastern cham- 
bers of the mansion, where they sunk to repose on 
beds of down, beneath a silken canopy. 

In the morning, before their departure, a rich 
banquet was provided for them, and among other 
things the master of the house brought rich, luscious 
wine in a golden goblet, of which he pressed his 
guests to partake. When they left the hospitable 
mansion, the younger guest secretly took the 
golden cup and hid it in the folds of his vesture. 
After they had proceeded some distance on their 
journey, the youth drew from the place of its con- 
cealment the golden goblet which had been so con- 
spicuously displayed at the hospitable mansion- 
house. The hermit was confounded at the conduct 
of his companion. 

The travelers passed on till near the close of day, 
when the sun became shrouded with black clouds, 
and the deep thunder rolled in the distance. It 
came nearer, the wind roared, the rain descended, 
the forked lightning flashed around, and the thun- 
der became loud and terrible. A turreted, castle- 



IMILITUDES. 



283 




[" As one who spies a serpent in his way, 
Glistening and basking in the summer ray, 
Disordered stops, to shun the danger near, 
Then walks with faintness on, and looks with fear; 
So seemed the sire, he walked with trembling heart: 
And much he wished, but durst not ask to part ; 
Murmuring, he lifts his eyes, and thinks it hard, 
That generous actions meet a base reward."] 

like building, was seen on rising ground, to which 
they fled for shelter. The building was large and 
strong, and the extensive grounds about it were 
unimproved. The owners of this habitation were 
in temper timorous and severe. They were con- 
sidered unkind and griping, and every thing about 
their premises appeared desert-like and forbidding. 
Driven by the wind, and drenched by the rain, 
they arrived at the miser's door and knocked for 
admittance. For a long time it was in vain. 

At length some pity seemed to move the miser's 
breast. It was the first time that his house had 



284 THE BOOK OF 

ever received a guest. Slowly he turned the creak- 
ing door with jealous care, and he half welcomes 
the suffering pair. With a few fagot sticks he 
lights the naked walls by which the travelers are 
able only to partially dry their clothing. A small 
quantity of the coarsest bread, and wine of the 
poorest quality, was set before them ; each, hardly 
granted, served them both for a meal. As soon as 
the tempest had ceased, and sufficient light had 
appeared, so that they could discern their pathway, 
they received an intimation to depart in peace. 

As they parted from their miserly host, the youth 
drew from his vest, and presented him with the 
golden cup he had taken from the generous land- 
lord who had entertained them in so princely a 
manner. The miser received the glittering gift 
with startled eyes, and was so overwhelmed at the 
princely reward for his stinted kindness, that he 
sunk to the earth in surprise, and before he could 
sufficiently recover himself to thank his generous 
guests, they had traveled out of his sight and hear- 
ing. 

The dark clouds were soon scattered, the blue 
sky appeared, and the sun shone forth in splendor 
and beauty. The fragrant leaves displayed a fresher 
green, and all nature rejoiced in the light of the 
sun. The travelers continued their journey. The 
hermit's mind labored with uncertain thought. No 
cause appeared for his companion's acts. To steal 
a cup from a generous man and give it to a miserly 
creature who would scarcely admit them within 



SIMILITUDES. 285 

his gate. One act seemed a vice, the other ap- 
peared like madness. While he detested the one, 
he pitied the other. In the contemplation of both 
his mind became lost, confused and confounded. 

Night again overtook the travelers, and again 
they sought a shelter. They soon found a mansion, 
neat and comfortable in appearance, " neither poorly 
low nor idly great." The soil was well improved 
around it, and every thing about it seemed to show 
the turn of its master's mind, of contentment, in- 
dustry and virtue. The weary travelers arriving 
at the mansion, greeted its master, and modestly 
asked for food and shelter. He received them court- 
eously, and without vanity, ostentation or grudg- 
ing, he welcomed them to his house ; piously re- 
marking that as all he possessed was given him by 
God, he was under obligation, and felt willing to 
bestow a portion in acts of hospitality, charity and 
mercy. A table of substantial and nutritious food 
was set before them, and they were bid welcome 
to whatever the house afforded. The evening was 
spent in religious and profitable conversation, and 
before retiring to rest the whole household were 
called together, and the day and evening were 
closed by prayer and praise. 

Refreshed by calm repose, the two travelers 
arose refreshed and invigorated to pursue their 
journey. But before they left the hospitable man- 
sion of the good man, the youth, the younger guest, 
in a stealthy manner crept up to the cradle, where 
the darling and only son lay sleeping. Grasping 



286 



THE BOOK OF 



the neck of the landlord's little pride it was stran- 
gled, it grew black in the face, gasped and died. 
Struck dumb with horror at the deed, the hermit 
at once attempted to fly from the presence of one 
whose actions appeared to be those of an infernal 
and incarnate demon of the worst kind. The her- 
mit fled trembling, but could make but little speed, 
being overwhelmed at the scene he had witnessed. 




"His youthful face grew more serenely sweet, 
His robe turn'd white, and fiow'd about his feet ; 
And wings whose colors glitter'd like the day, 
Wide at his back the dazzling plumes display. 
The form etherial bursts upon his sight, 
And moves in all the majesty of light. 
Surprise in chains the Pilgrim's words suspends, 
And in a calm his settling temper ends. 
But silence here the beauteous angel broke, 
The voice of music ravish'd as he spoke." 

The youth pursued his steps : the road through 
the country which they had to pass, being difficult 



SIMILITUDES. 287 

to find, the good man at whose house they had last 
lodged, sent his servant for a guide. A river 
crossed the path, large trees had been fallen across 
it which served for a bridge. The youth who fol- 
lowed the guide close behind, seemingly intent on 
mischief, watching his opportunity, thrust him off 
the perilous bridge into the stream below, where 
he perished amid the deep waters. When the her- 
mit saw this last act of his companion, he could, 
hold his peace no longer. Swelling with rage he 
cried out, " detested wretch /" He had scarcely 
pronounced these words when his strange partner 
seemed no longer man. 

Know, said the angel to the Hermit, I was sent 
to enlighten thy mind. Thy prayers and praise 
and thy virtuous life, have arisen as a sweet memo- 
rial before the throne of the Eternal. I am but 
thy fellow-servant, commissioned to remove doubts 
which arise in thy mind when contemplating the 
goodness or equity of the Divine Government. The 
Maker of all things, justly claims the world that he 
has made. He has the right to govern it accord- 
ing to his own will. He uses second means to ac- 
complish his purposes, and sometimes appoints 
wicked and abandoned wretches to be his instru- 
ments of justice upon others, though unperceived 
by mortal eyes. "While men are accomplishing 
their own devices, God is overruling all things to 
bring about his sovereign purposes. 

" True," said the angel, still addressing himself 
to the hermit, " thou hast seen many strange things 
since we have been together. 



288 THE BOOK OF 

Yet, taught by these, confess the Almighty just, 
And where thou can't unriddle, learn to trust. 

" The rich man in the palace where we staid the 
first night, who made his guests drink large draughts 
of wine in his golden cup, has, by having it stolen, 
given up that bad custom. I gave the cup to the 
miser, to teach him that Heaven can reward a gene- 
rous action. The pious man, whose child I stran- 
gled, had long trod in virtue's path, but now the 
child began to wean his heart from God. To save 
the father, the son was taken. To all but us, the 
child seemed to die in fits, but I was sent to take 
its life. The guide, whom I drowned, had he re- 
turned to the pious man, his master, would have 
that very night robbed and murdered him, and 
then how many poor and distressed persons would 
have suffered for the want of his charitable dona- 
tions. 

" Thus Heaven instructs thy mind ; this trial o'er, 
Depart in peace, resign, and sin no more." 
On sounding pinions here the youth withdrew; 
The sage stood wondering as the seraph flew. 
Thus looked Elisha, when to mount on high, 
His master took the chariot of the sky; 
The fiery pomp ascending, left the view; 
The prophet gazed, and wished to follow too. 
The bending hermit here a prayer begun, 
Lord ! as in heaven, on earth thy will be done." 
Then, gladly turning, sought his ancient place, 
And passed a life of piety and peace." 



DANIEL, CHAP. II. 




Orj&'inalLj cfa.-a.wn. "by- tlie Au.th.or. 0rt.M8.-Bg^awaTjj-liini (JWB.) Aug-. 1860. 



NEEUCHADNEZZAKS VISION OF THE IMAGE. 
Representing- t/ieFour &reat Monarchies oftlie Worlds History; the 
Assyrian; #k? Persian; the Grecian; and the Roman. 



OUTLINE HISTORY; 

EMBRACING 

ALL THE LEADING EVENTS 

IN THE 

RELIGIOUS HISTORY 

OF 

THE WORLD: 

FROM THE 

EARLIEST PERIOD TO THE PRESENT TIME. 

ILLUSTRATED BY 
FROM ORIGINAL DESIGNS. 



BY JOHN W. BARBER. 



In this department of the work, embracing the " Outline 
History," <fcc, it is divided into two divisions, Ancient and 
Modern. Ancient History, embraces the history of the world 
previous to the Christian Era, or coming of Christ. This 
division of the World's History is arranged under Four 
Great Monarchies, as described in the book of Daniel, em- 
bracing a period of four thousand years. 

Modern History commences at the Christian Era : the im- 
portant events in each century are separately described, 
at the head of which is an engraving illustrative of the 
events in that century. These engravings, embracing the 
Four Great Monarchies as well as the Christian Centuries, 
are designed upon an original plan by the author of this 
work. 

At the close of the Centuries is a Chronological Table of 
Events from the account given by Moses in the book of 
Genesis to the present time. 

The historical part of the work, as a whole, will, in some 
measure, it is believed, give a clear and comprehensive view 
of the World's History in a religious view, to those who care 
not to wade through a voluminous history. 



GENERAL HISTORY OF 

THE WOULD 

ANCIENT AND MODERN. 



Religious commentators and writers have com- 
prised the history of the world, as existing under 
Four Monarchies, succeeding each other in dif- 
ferent forms, to the end of time. This is in accord- 
ance with the vision or dream of Nebuchadnezzar 
(the Chaldean or Assyrian Monarch,) the interpre- 
tation or meaning of which is given by Daniel the 
Hebrew prophet : 

" Thou O King, sawest, and behold, a great image. This 
great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before 
thee, and the form thereof was terrible. 

This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms 
of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass. 

His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 

Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, 
which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and 
clay, and break them to pieces. 

Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver and the gold, 
broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the 
summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, 
that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote 
the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. 

This is the dream ; and we will tell the interpretation 
thereof before the King. 

Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven 
hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength and glory. 

And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of 
the field, and the fowls of the heaven, hath he given into 
thy hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art 
this head of gold. 

And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, 
and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule 
over all the earth. 

And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron : foras- 
much as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things : 



292 ANCIENT HISTOEY, 

and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces 
and bruise. 

And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes part of potter's 
clay and part of iron ; the kingdom shall be divided, but 
there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as 
thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. 

And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of 
clay ; so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly 
broken. 

And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they 
shall mingle themselves with the seed of men ; but they 
shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with 
clay. 

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven 
set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed : and the 
kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break 
in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand 
for ever. 

Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of 
the mountain without hands, and that it break in pieces the 
iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold ; the great 
God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass 
hereafter : and the dream is certain, and the interpretation 
thereof sure. 

The immense riches, magnificence and prosperi- 
ty of the Assyrian Monarchy, or Babylonish em- 
pire, with its renowned metropolis, gave it that 
pre-eminence over the succeeding empires, which 
gold has above other metals. 

The Persian Monarchy, succeeded that of the 
Assyrian, is supposed to be represented by the 
breast and two arms of silver, signifying the union 
of the Kingdoms of the Medes and Persians. This 
Monarchy was inferior to that of the Assyrian, as 
silver is to gold, perhaps in wealth, splendor and 
prosperity. 

The Grecian Monarchy was established by 
Alexander the Great, who conquered the Persians 
and continued under his success. This Monarchy 
had less external magnificence than those that pre- 
ceeded it ; and it was founded and supported by 
force of arms, many of which were anciently made 



ANCIENT HISTORY. 293 

of brass. It was, however, more extensive than ei- 
ther of the others. It was therefore foretold it 
would " bear rule over all the earth," alluding pos- 
sibly to the boast of Alexander, "that he had sub- 
dued the whole world." 

The Roman Empire, or Monarchy, is sup- 
posed by commentators to be the fourth kingdom 
described by Daniel. This empire was strong as 
iron, and like iron, it brake and subdued all before 
it. The Roman people, during the first period of 
their history, were remarkable only for their valor, 
hardiness, frugality, and poverty, of which iron is 
a proper emblem. 

The division of the Roman monarchy into the 
Eastern and Western empires, might be denoted 
by the two legs and feet on which the image stood ; 
and the ten toes into which the feet divided, repre- 
sented the ten kingdoms into which the whole em- 
pire was at length broken. The civil wars which 
weakened the state, and the conjunction of the 
Romans with the conquered nations, and afterwards 
with the Goths, Vandals, and other barbarians who 
subverted the empire, was denoted by the com- 
pounding of the iron with the potter's clay, which 
could not unite, or strengthen each other. Thus 
the Roman empire decayed in strength, even when 
it was growing more extensive ; and it evidently 
began to decline, till it was divided into many sub- 
ordinate kingdoms. This is also represented by 
the Romans mingling themselves with the seed of 
men, or of other nations, by alliances, or intermar- 
riages, which tended to the subvertion of the em- 
pire. Yet this monarchy may be considered as 
still existing in the toes, or kingdoms, into which 
it was broken. 

During the prevalence of the Roman authority, 
or the " days of those kings, shall the God of Heaven 
set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed," 
or fall under the power of any conquerors ; seeing 



294 ANCIENT HISTOEY. 

it would break in pieces and consume all those 
kingdoms and stand forever." This was represent- 
ed by " a stone cut out without hands" which smote 
the image, and utterly destroyed it," and " became 
a great mountain that filled the whole earth.'' This 
evidently designates the kingdom of Christ, which 
is to overcome all others, and continue forever, un- 
broken, eternal. 



THE LAST MONARCHY, 



[" Ah ! scenes surpassing fable, and yet true ; 

Scenes of accomplished bliss ! Which who can see, 

Though but in distant prospect, and not feel 

His soul refreshed with foretaste of the joy 1 

Rivers of gladness water all the earth, 

And clothe all climes with beauty ; the reproach 

Of barrenness is past. The fruitful field 

Laughs with abundance ; and the land, once lean, 

Or fertile only to its own disgrace, 

Exults to see its thistly curse repeal'd. 

The various seasons woven into one, 

And that one season an eternal spring. 

The garden fears no blight, and needs no fence, 

For there is none to covet — all are full."] 



THE ASSYRIAN MONARCHY, 

Extends from the Deluge, 2343 B. C, [before Christ] to B. G 

538 years. 




The Assyrian, called the first great monarchy of the world* 
extends from the Deluge, or Antediluvian Period, to the con- 
quest of Babylon, a period of eighteen hundred years. Babylon 
and Ninevah were the capitals of the Babylonian or Assyrian 
empire. Egypt was one of the earliest of kingdoms. Moses, 
the great lawgiver, David, Solomon, the Jewish kings flourished. 
Nebuchadnezzar swayed his sceptre over the nations. 

THE ANTEDILUVIAN PERIOD. 

Antediluvian signifies "before the flood," and 
the period under this name embraces 1656 years, 



296 ANCIENT HISTORY^ 

including four principal events. First, the Creation 
— second, the Transgression of Adam and Eve — 
third, the Murder of Abel by his brother Cain — 
fourth, the Deluge. By this last event the whole 
human race perished, except Noah and his three 
sons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet, who, with their 
families, were preserved in the ark. 

The only authentic account we have of these 
events is given by Moses in the Bible. The crea- 
tion of our globe, including the creatures by which 
it is inhabited, occupied six days. God rested 
from the creation on the seventh day, and set it 
apart ever after, as a day on which man is to wor- 
ship him. This event, according to the Hebrew 
computation, took place 4004 years before the 
coming of Jesus Christ. 

The Assyrian, the first great monarchy, com- 
mences from the deluge, and extends through a 
course of eighteen hundred years, to the conquest 
of Babylon by Cyrus, the Persian. 

The only authentic history of the earlier periods 
of the world are found in the book of Genesis. 
The first great event after the flood, or deluge, 
was the building of the Tower of Babel, which 
took place about 2247 years B. C. As it was de- 
signed for improper purposes, it incurred the dis- 
approbation of God, who miraculously confounded 
their language, and thus dispersed them into differ- 
ent nations. 

The foundation of the Assyrian empire was laid 
by Ashur, the grandson of Noah. JSTimrod, his 
great grandson, is said to have founded Babylon, 
which, history says, was the most splendid city in 
the world. Ninevah, the capital of Assyria, was 
sixty miles in circumference. The Assyrian and 
Babylonian empires continued separate for a while, 
but at length were united into one by mutual con- 
quests. 

The establishment of the Chinese empire is sup- 



ANCIENT HISTORY. 29*7 

posed to have taken place about two thousand 
years before the commencement of the Christian 
era. This people, however, like most of the oriental 
nations, claim a higher antiquity. But scripture, 
the state of human society, and authentic history, 
discountenance such pretensions. 

The Mosaic writings represent Egypt, about 450 
years after the flood, as a well regulated kingdom. 
The great fertility of the soil on the banks of the 
Nile, it is supposed, caused Egypt to become popu- 
lous and civilized at an early period. Accordingly 
Europe was the seat of arts and learning, while 
Greece and Italy were in a barbarous state. It 
claims the honor of inventing the art of writing, 
and has been styled " the cradle of the sciences." 
]VIenes, or Misraim, the son of Ham, is supposed to 
have been the first monarch of the Egyptians, about 
1G0 years after the deluge. The government of 
Egypt was a hereditary monarchy. The king had 
the chief regulation of all matters relating to the 
worship of the gods, and the priests, as his deputies, 
filled all the offices of state. 

The ancient Egyptians embalmed the bodies of 
their relatives with the greatest care. These bodies, 
now called mummies, embalmed more than 3000 
years ago, and perhaps before Moses was born, arc 
now found in Egypt in good preservation. The 
body is filled with drugs and spices, closely wrap- 
ped over with many folds of linen, and inclosed in 
a coffin, the lid of which is covered with paintings 
and hieroglyphics,, relating, it is supposed, to the 
character of the deceased. Many of these coffins 
are found in tombs cut into solid rocks. 

Though the Egyptians were advanced in civiliza- 
tion, yet they were low and degraded in their re- 
ligious opinions. Their two principal gods were 
Osiris and Isis, which are supposed to be the sun 
and moon. Besides these, they worshiped the ox, 
the dog, the c^t, the crocodile, the ibis, or stork. 



298 ANCIENT HISTORY. 

&c. The bull, Apis, had a splendid temple erected 
to him ; great honors were paid him while living, 
and still greater after his death. The golden calf, 
set up by the Israelites near Mount Sinai, appears 
to have been an imitation of the god Apis. 

Egypt abounds with the monuments and remains 
of antiquity. The pyramids, one of which is 500 
feet high, are the most astonishing monuments of 
human labor. It is supposed, and not without rea- 
son, that the Israelites, during their slavery in Egypt, 
were employed in making these enormous piles. 
The remains of the artificial lake, Mceris, the cata- 
combs, those vast places for the burial of the dead, 
have been the wonder of ancient and modern times. 
The ruins of Thebes, a city in Upper Egypt, sup- 
posed to have been laid in desolation more than 
3000 years ago, is viewed with astonishment. 
Almost the whole extent of eight miles, along the 
river Nile, is covered with magnificent portals, 
obelisks, covered with sculpture, forests of columns, 
and long avenues of statues of gigantic size. One 
of its temples is a mile and a-half in circumference. 
Its history is recorded only by uncertain tradition 
and poetry, which might be suspected fabulous, did 
not such mighty witnesses to their truth remain. 

About 417 years after the flood, mankind appear 
to have lost, in a great measure, the knowledge and 
worship of the true God. Abraham, a descendant 
of Shem, was born in Chaldea, and in the midst of 
an idolatrous people, retained the knowledge of the 
true religion. By the divine direction, he removed 
into Canaan, which was appointed to be the resi- 
dence of his posterity. To Abraham, God com- 
mitted the true religion, and formed of his family 
a peculiar people, to whom his will was revealed, 
and from whom the Messiah, or Saviour, was to 
proceed. Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, had 
twelve sons, who were the heads of the twelve 
tribes of Israel, 



ANCIENT HISTORY. 299 

Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, or Israel, 
having displeased his brethren, was sold by them 
to a company of merchants, who took him to Egypt. 
Here, after various trials and changes, he became, 
under Pharaoh, lord over Egypt. There being a 
sore famine in the land of Canaan, Joseph invited 
his father and brethren into the land of Egypt, 
where they increased rapidly in numbers. After 
the death of Joseph, the Israelites had become so 
numerous and powerful, that they began to be an 
object of fear to the Egyptians. In order to pre- 
vent their prosperity and increase, task-masters 
were set over them, who made their lives miserable 
with hard bondage, and all their male children 
were ordered to be destroyed at their birth. It is 
stated by Moses, the sacred historian, that the more 
they were afflicted, the more they multiplied and 
grew. 

The Phoenicians were among the first civilized 
nations in the world. They are called Canaanites 
in the scriptures, from their living in the land of 
Canaan. Inhabiting a sterile country, on the 
borders of the Mediterranean sea, they turned their 
attention to commerce, and were a commercial 
people in the time of Abraham. Tyre and Sidon, 
their principal cities, were the most ancient of any 
that we read of in history, and were, in early ages, 
the greatest seats of commerce in the world. The 
Phoenicians colonized various places bordering on 
the Mediterranean sea, and its islands, at an early 
period. They are said to have invented glass, 
purple, and coinage. The invention of letters has 
also been ascribed to them, as well as to the Egyp- 
tians ; and Cadmus, a Phoenician, is said to have 
first carried letters into Greece. 

Civilization seems to have been introduced into 
Greece by a colony of Phoenicians, who founded 
the kingdom of Argos, 490 years from the deluge, 
and 1857 before the Christian era. Greece was 



300 ANCIENT HISTOET. 

called, "by the natives, Hellas, and the inhabitants, 
Hellenes. They were extremely barbarous, and 
they wandered in the woods, without law or gov- 
ernment, having but little intercourse with each 
other. It is said they were ignorant of the use of 
fire, lived on acorns, berries and raw flesh, and 
clothed themselves with the skins of wild beasts. 
Athens, Sparta, and Thebes, were founded about 
800 years after the deluge, and fifteen centuries be- 
fore Christ. 

The most celebrated states or republics of Greece 
were Athens, Sparta and Thebes ; the two leading 
states were Athens and Sparta. Athens, the capital 
of Attica, was founded by a colony from Egypt. 
It was the most celebrated city in Greece, being 
distinguished as the seat of learning and the arts. 
It was also celebrated for its commerce, wealth, 
and magnificence, and was the birth-place of many 
illustrious men. The Spartans became distinguished 
for military valor and discipline, their singular laws 
and institutions making them a nation of soldiers. 
Thebes was founded by Cadmus, the Phoenician. 
Very little is known respecting its early history ; 
but in after times, it rose from obscurity, and be- 
* came celebrated, while Athens and Sparta were in 
a state of decline. 

The Hebrews, or Israelites, having remained in 
Egypt 215 years, were, by the direction of God, 
assembled under Moses, their leader, and command- 
ed to leave the country. By a miracle, they passed 
through the Red Sea, and the Egyptian army in 
pursuing them, were all drowned. Although God 
continually performed miracles before the Israelites, 
to supply their wants, yet they murmured and re- 
belled against him. For this, the nation was com- 
pelled to wander forty years between Egypt and 
Canaan, and the rebellious generation died in the 
wilderness. While at Mount Sinai, the Israelites 
received the divine law, and their national institu- 



ANCIENT HISTORY. 301 

tions from God himself, by the hand of Moses. At 
this time, it is supposed, they were three millions 
in number. This vast multitude were formed into 
a regular body, and the utmost order was observed 
in their marches and encampments. Moses, having 
arrived in sight of Cannan, died on Mount Nebo, 
and Joshua, his successor, conducted the people 
into the promised land. 

The ten commandments given to Moses on Mount 
Sinia, are the most ancient code of laws now in ex- 
istence. It is a comple summary of all the duties 
which mankind owe to God and each other ; it en- 
forces the observance of these duties by the power- 
ful motives of gratitude, hope and fear. By it, man 
is directed to adore and love the true God, the 
Author of all good ; it commands him to reverence 
his holy name, and to observe stated times for his 
worship. Four of these commands — 1, "Thou 
shalt not kill ; 2, Thou shalt not commit adultery ; 
3, Thou shalt not steal ; 4, Thou shalt not bear false 
witness," have formed the basis of all criminal law 
in all civilized nations. The concluding command- 
ment is directed against selfishness, the principal 
source of all crime. 

The account of the Trojan war is derived princi- 
pally from the Iliad, a poem by Homer, the great 
poet of antiquity. Although there is much which 
is fabulous in the poem, yet the main facts are be- 
lieved to be correctly stated. The war originated 
in the following manner : — Helen, the most beauti- 
ful woman of her age, ran away from her husband, 
the king of Sparta, with Paris, the son of the king 
of Troy, who came to Sparta on a visit. The Greeks 
united under Agamemnon, Achilles, and others, and 
sent a fleet of 1,200 open vessels, which conveyed 
an army of 100,000 men to the Trojan coast, to 
avenge the outrage. The Trojans, commanded by 
Hector, Eneas, and others, sustained a siege of ten 
years, when the city was entered by storm, or stra- 

26 



302 ANCIENT HISTORY. 

tagem, and burnt to the ground. The poets relate 
that the Greeks made a large wooden horse, which 
they secretly filled with armed men ; the Trojans 
having taken possession, they drew it in triumph 
into the city. In the night, the Greeks came out, 
opened the gates to their companions, who rushed 
in and made themselves masters of the city. 

The Greeks had four solemn games, called the 
Olympic, the Pythian, the Nemean, and the Isthmian. 
They consisted of contests of skill in wrestling, box- 
ing, running, leaping, and such exercises. There 
were also horse and chariot races ; contentions of 
skill between poets, musicians, orators, philoso- 
phers, and artists. These games had a great poli- 
tical effect in promoting national union, in extend- 
ing the love of glory, and training the youth to 
martial exercises. They cherished at once a spirit 
of heroism and superstition, which led to great and 
hazardous enterprises. The Olympic games were 
instituted 1222 years before Christ, by Hercules. 
They were not, however, regularly celebrated till 
775 years before the Christian era. From this 
period the Olympiads constitute an epoch in history, 
to which important events are referred. 

The Greeks, and afterwards the Romans, wor- 
shiped great numbers of gods and demi-gods, which 
they divided into a number of classes. The celestial 
deities were Jupiter, Apollo, Mars, Mercury, Bac 
chus, Vulcan, Juno, Minerva, Venus, Diana, Ceres, 
and Vesta. Jupiter was considered the father of 
got. rod men ; Apollo, the god of music and poetry ; 
Mars, of war ; Mercury, represented with winged 
feet, was the messenger of the gods ; Bacchus was 
the god of wine; Vulcan was patron of those who 
worked in metals, and is represented as forging 
thunder-bolts for Jupiter; Minerva was the god- 
dess of wisdom ; Venus, of love and beauty. These 
divinities were supposed to possess the passions 
and infirmities of mankind ; and even Jupiter, their 



ANCIENT HISTOET. 303 

supreme god, was represented as having recourse 
to the most unworthy artifices to gratify the basest 
passions. 

Among the deities of a lower order, was Neptune, 
who reigned over the sea ; the Syrens, who were 
said to have the faces of women, and the lower part 
of their bodies like fish, and by their melodious 
voices allured mariners to destruction. Cupid was 
the god of love ; the Nine Muses, who presided 
over the liberal arts. They also had infernal 
deities, and gods, and goddesses, of the woods, 
streams, winds, <fcc. Besides their own, they often 
adopted the gods of other nations. 

The worship of the Grecian divinities was con- 
ducted by priests dressed in costly robes, who 
offered sacrifices of animals, fruits, perfumes, and 
sometimes human victims. These sacrifices were 
sometimes accompanied with prayers, music, and 
dancing. Various degrees of worship were offered 
to the gods, and the souls of departed heroes. The 
temples dedicated to the gods were very numerous 
and splendid. Their festivals were observed with 
every circumstance of pomp and splendor, to charm 
the eye and please the imagination. The temples 
were attended by the idle and vicious, and the most 
disgraceful licentiousness was often allowed. Their 
philosophers appear to have been in doubt respect- 
ing a future state of existence ; their poets, how- 
ever, inculcated a belief in Tartarus, or Hell, and in 
Elysium, or Paradise. 

The oracles were certain temples, where it is said 
future events were made known to those who sought 
to know the will of the gods, by means of priests 
and priestesses, who were supposed to be inspired 
by their deities with the power of fortelling what 
was to come. They obtained such credit among 
the Greeks, that nothing of importance was under- 
taken without consulting the gods. There were 
several hundred of these oracles in different parts 



304 ANCIENT HISTORY. 

of Greece, but the most celebrated were those of 
Apollo, at Delphi, and Delos, and the oracle of Ju- 
piter, at Dodona. The answers by these oracles, 
were generally given in such obscure language, 
as to admit of different interpretations. 

The Greeks also endeavored to obtain a knowl- 
edge of future events by dreams, and by observing 
omens. They were very superstitious in this re- 
spect ; almost every accident, or appearance of na- 
ture, was believed to be an omen of good or evil. 
For the purpose of obtaining prophetic dreams, 
they fasted, clothed themselves in white, and under- 
went various ceremonies. In the sacrifices, when 
the beast was dragged by force to the altar, when 
it kicked, or bellowed, or was long in dying, it was 
ominous of evil ; if otherwise, the gods were deem- 
ed propitious. The entrails of beasts were examin- 
ed, in order to gain a knowledge of the future ; the 
Grecian augurs, clothed in white, with a crown of 
gold upon their heads, observed the flight of birds 
for the same purpose. Toads were accounted lucky 
omens ; serpents, unlucky ; a hare, in time of war, 
signified defeat and flight. Comets and eclipses 
portended evil, and caused much alarm. 

Sacrifices were either free-will offerings, for a 
victory, &c. ; popitiatory, to avert the anger of 
some offended god ; petitionary sacrifices, for suc- 
cess in any enterprise; or those commanded by 
some oracle or prophet. These sacrifices, at first, 
consisted only of herbs and fruits, but afterwards 
animals, costly perfumes, &c, were added. 



After the death of Moses and Joshua, the Israel- 
ites were under the direction of leaders called 
Judges, during the space of about 350 years. The 
people, dissatisfied with the immediate government 
of God, desired a king, in order to be like the na- 



ANCIENT HISTORY. 305 

tions around them. About 1 100 years before Christ, 
Saul was appointed their sovereign. He was a 
warlike prince, but was finally, with his three sons, 
killed on Mount Gilboa. He was succeeded by 
David, who was distinguished for his skill in war, 
music, and poetry. He restored the purity of the 
Hebrew worship, conquered the enemies of his 
country, and commenced building Jerusalem, which 
afterwards was the royal residence. He made an 
alliance with Hiram, king of Tyre, the capital of 
Phoenicia, then a powerful and wealthy kingdom, 
and collected materials for building the magnificent 
temple of Solomon. 

When Solomon succeeded to the throne of his 
his father David, the Israelitish nation had arrived 
to its height of splendor and power. The dedica- 
tion of Solomon's Temple, at Jerusalem, took place 
one thousand and four years before Christ. The 
building of this structure was completed in seven 
years. An immense amount of gold was used in 
its construction, and it was probably the most su- 
perb and costly edifice the world ever saw. The 
reign of Solomon was attended with peace, pros- 
perity, and abundance ; but towards the close of 
his life he became luxurious and effeminate, and by 
the sin of idolatry brought dishonor and distress 
upon the nation, About thirty years after the de- 
dication of the temple, ten tribes of the Israelites 
revolted from Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, and 
formed a separate kingdom, which was called the 
kingdom of Israel. The tribes of Judah and Ben- 
jamin continued their allegiance to Rehoboam, and 
formed the kingdom of Judah. 

The ten tribes of Israel existed in a separate 
kingdom for about 250 years, of which Samaria 
was the capital, their kings were idolators, and the 
nation was sunk in wickedness. In 721 years be- 
fore Christ, Shalmanezer, king of Ninevah, besieged 
Samaria, and after a siege of three years, the city 



306 ANCIENT HISTORY. 

was surrendered, and the people carried captives 
into the mountainous region of the interior of Asia. 
From this period they ceased to exist as an inde- 
pendent nation, and we have no authentic history- 
respecting their fate. It is supposed by some, that 
they are still existing as a distinct people some- 
where in Asia. Some few people belonging to the 
tribes remained in Canaan, and were intermixed 
with strangers, and from that mixture sprung the 
motly race, who, in the time of our Savior, were 
called Samaritans, and held in contempt by the 
Jews. 

A century after the captivity of the ten tribes, 
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, took Jerusalem 
by storm, after a siege of twelve months. The city, 
with the temple built by Solomon, was leveled with 
the dust, 588 years before the coming of Christ. 
Zedekiah, the Jewish king, after the murder of his 
children in his presence, had his eyes put out, and 
then carried captive to Babylon. All the principal 
persons and the skillful artists of every kind, and 
the sacred treasures of the temple, were likewise 
taken away, and the country laid waste. The Jews, 
according to the prophecy of Daniel, one of the 
captives, remained in captivity just seventy years, 
and were restored to their country by Cyrus, the 
conqueror of Babylon, who permitted them to re- 
build their city and its temple. The scripture nar- 
rative in the Old Testament ends about one hundred 
years after this period. 



THE PERSIAN MONARCHY, 

Extends from the conquest of Babylon, by Cyrus, B. C. 538, to 
the death of Darius, B. C. 330. 




Cyrus, the Persian, foretold in holy writ by name, causes the 
Jews to return from their seventy years' captivity, by a decree 
of the Medes a^d Persians. He conquers Babylon, the wonder 
of the world. The Persians held universal dominion for about 
200 years. They worshiped the sun, and paid veneration to 
fire. Confucius, the Chinese philosopher, flourished during this 
period. 

There is but little known respecting the early 
history of the Persians. They rose into notice and 
power by the conquest of Cyrus, who is celebrated 



308 ANCIENT HISTORY. 

both in profane and sacred history. Cyrus was the 
son of a Persian nobleman, and married the daughter 
of the king of the Medes, and by this means Persia 
and Media became one kingdom. He conquered 
the Lydians, made himself master of Sardis, their 
capital, and took prisoner their king, Crcesus, so 
celebrated for his vast riches. He conquered Ba- 
bylon, subjected the greatest part of Asia Minor, 
and made himself master of Syria and Arabia. 
Cyrus was a great and virtuous king ; he spent the 
last part of his life in regulating his vast conquests, 
being beloved not only by his own natural subjects, 
but those of the conquered nations. The Persian 
empire continued for two hundred years, when it 
was ended by the conquests of Alexander the Great. 

Cyrus having defeated Belshazzar, the king of 
Babylon, he retreated to his capital, which the Per- 
sians immediately besieged. The city was fortified 
in such a manner, that it seemed impossible to take 
possession. It was, however, taken by a stratagem 
— a channel was dug to turn the course of the river 
Euphrates, which passed through the city. A great 
festival was to be celebrated in the city, in which 
the Babylonians were accustomed to pass the whole 
night in drinking and debauchery. Cyrus, on this 
night, opened the channel to receive the water of 
the Euphrates, which soon became dry, and march- 
ed his troops in the bed of the river into the city. 
Belshazzar and his nobles, while reveling with wine, 
drank from the sacred vessels taken from the tem- 
ple of Jerusalem, were suddenly arrested by the 
appearance of a hand- writing on the wall, warning 
Belshazzar of the destruction of his kingdom. The 
troops of Cyrus finding the gates open on the banks 
of the river, entered the city almost without resist- 
ance, and slew Belshazzar and his attendants. 

Isaiah, the sacred prophet, many ages before its 
final accomplishment, foretold its utter desolation, 
in the following words : " And Babylon, the glory 



ANCIENT HISTORY. 309 

of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, 
shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Go- 
morrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall 
it be dwelt in from generation to generation." So 
completely has this prediction been fulfilled, that it 
has been a matter of dispute where the city stood. 

After the conquest of Babylon, he caused the 
Jews to return from their seventy years' captivity, 
and permitted them to re-build the city and the 
temple. Previous to this, he had conquered the 
Lydians, took their capital, and made himself master 
of Syria, Arabia, and the greater part of Asia Minor, 
and after a reign of thirty years, it is said he was 
killed in a war against the Scythians, and soon after 
Darius, who in scripture is called Ahasuerus, began 
to reign. 

The religion of the ancient Persians was of great 
antiquity. Zoroaster was the founder of the sect 
of the Magi, in the eastern world, and particularly 
in Persia. This sect adored the sun, and paid great 
veneration to fire ; hence they were called fire wor- 
shipers. The keeping of the sacred fire was en- 
trusted to the Magi, and it was always carried be- 
fore their kings in all their marches, with the great- 
est respect, and it would have been deemed the 
greatest misfortune, had it been suffered to go out. 
In their tenets, they believed there were two prin- 
ciples in existence, one the cause of all good, the 
other the cause of all evil, and that there is a per- 
petual struggle between them, which will last to 
the end of the world. The priests of the Magi were 
deeply skilled in astronomy, and all the learning of 
the age in which they lived. They were so much 
superior in knowledge to the rest of mankind, that 
they were thought by the vulgar to be inspired by 
supernatural powers. Hence, in after ages, those 
who performed any act which seemed to be beyond 
human power, were said to have used Magi, and 
were called Magicians. 



310 ANCIENT HISTORY. 

The government of Persia was an absolute mon- 
archy ; the will of the monarch was law, and his 
person held sacred. He always appeared with 
great pomp and dignity, having at some periods a 
body-guard of 13,000 men, besides another guard of 
10,000 horsemen, styled the immortals, their num- 
ber being always the same. The king, like the rest 
of the eastern monarchs, styled himself the " King 
of kings." 

From the time of Cyrus, the Persians were de- 
sirous of conquering the Grecian States, of which 
Athens and Sparta had gained a pre-eminence. 
Darius, the Persian king, sent messengers to Greece, 
and demanded " earth and water," which was the 
usual sign of submission to his power. Athens and 
Sparta threw the heralds, one into a well, the other 
into a ditch, and bade them take earth and water 
from thence. 

At the battle of Marathon, the Athenians, under 
Miltiades, marched against ten times their number 
of Persians, and after a fierce battle the Athenians 
were victorious, and the Persians, having lost more 
than 6,000 men, retreated in disorder. Miltiades, 
by this successful battle, rose to the highest popu- 
larity, but his ungrateful countrymen threw him 
into prison, where he died of his wounds, and they 
even denied burial to his body. 

About this time Pythagoras, of the isle of Samos, 
taught his philosophy in Greece, about 550 years 
before Christ. He believed in the doctrine of the 
transmigration of the soul into different bodies. 

Socrates, the wisest and most celebrated of an- 
cient philosophers, was born in Athens about 470 
years B. C. He was of calm and serene temper, 
which was often called into exercise by his wife, 
Xantippe, who was a woman of most provoking con- 
duct. His superiority over the rest of his countrymen 
made him many enemies, and was accused by them 
of corrupting the Athenian youth, and of ridiculing 



ANCIENT HISTORY. 311 

the gods — he was condemned to death by drinking 
hemlock poison. He took the cup and, addressing 
a prayer to heaven, drank off the poison with the 
greatest tranquility. 

Plato, a pupil of Socrates, labored for forty years, 
in teaching the sublimest precepts, and giving lec- 
tures in the public groves called the Academy; 
therefore his followers were called the Academics, 
and those sentiments which are highly refined and 
spiritual, are called Platonic. At this time also 
flourished Antistehnes and Diogenes, two philoso- 
phers of the Cyric sect, more celebrated for the 
austerity of their maxims, than for the advance- 
ment of knowledge. 

Confucius, a Chinese philosopher, who was born 
about 550 years before the Christian era, was the 
most virtuous and learned man of that age and 
country. His memory and works are held by the 
Chinese in the highest veneration. 

Xerxes, the son of Darius, succeeded him to the 
throne, and continued the wars his father had be- 
gun — he spent four years in collecting the largest 
army the world ever saw. The whole number of 
fighting men was above two millions, and the fol- 
lowers, slaves, and women, exceeded five millions. 
Xerxes, viewing this assemblage from a high emi- 
nence, shed tears, at the thought that in one hund- 
red years, not one of the vast multitude before him 
would be left alive. 

He inarched through Thessaly till he came to 
Thermopylae, a narrow pass, defended by Leonidas, 
the Spartan king, who, with only 300 men, kept 
the whole Persian army at bay. The law of the 
Spartans forbade them to flee from an enemy, and 
after making great havoc with the legions of the 
Persians, every man was slain. Xerxes, after sev- 
eral unsuccessful battles, retreated in a small fish- 
ing boat, and was soon after murdered. 

Herodotus, the first authentic historian of the 



312 ANCIENT HISTORY. 

Greeks, was bom 487 years B. C. Thucydides, a 
commander in the Peleponnesian war, wrote the 
history of this war, which was so admired by Demos- 
thenes, that he conld almost repeat it by heart. 

JEenophon, equally celebrated as a general, philo- 
sopher and historian, was a disciple of Socrates, and 
all his writings are of great elegance and simplicity. 

Demosthenes, one of the greatest orators that 
ever lived, after overcoming all obstacles by his 
oratorical abilities, raised himself to the head of the 
Athenian government, but was banished, and al- 
though recalled, ended his life by taking poison. 

After the civil wars, Philip, of Macedon, brought 
the whole of Greece under his dominion, and form- 
ed a project for the conquest of the Persians, but 
was assassinated by one of his captains, and was 
succeeded by his son, Alexander, who, at a very 
early age, gave evidence of the greatest talents and 
unbounded ambition. The Thebans having risen 
in rebellion, Alexander subdued them, and sold 
30,000 of them for slaves. He put Darius to flight 
at the battle of the Granicus, and defeated him en- 
tirely at Issus, and the whole of Spda, Damascus, 
and almost the whole of Phenicia, submitted to him. 
After having taken Gaza, he went into Egypt, which 
he subdued, and founded at the mouth of the Nile 
the city of Alexandria. 

After his return from Egypt, he met Darius at 
the head of 700,000 men, and a battle took place, 
in which 300,000 of the Persians were slain. Darius 
fled from province to province, until he was mur- 
dered by one of his officers. This ended the Per- 
sian monarchy, which had existed 206 years, from 
the time of Cyrus the Great. 



THE GRECIAN MONARCHY. 

Extends from the death of Darius, B. G. 330, to the termination, 
of Grecian independence, B. G. 184. 




Alexander the Great being at the head of the Grecian states 
turned his arms against the Persians. He conquers Darius, 
takes Babylon, proceeds to India, defeats Porus and his ele- 
phants, conquers Africa, and burns Persepolis. Having sub- 
jected Europe, Asia, Africa, he wept because there mas no more 
worlds to conquer. The Grecian supremacy continued nearly 
two hundred years. 

Alexander, the conqueror of the world, was the 
son of Philip, king of Macedon, one of the Grecian 
states. He succeeded to the throne at the age of 

27 



314 ANCIENT HISTORY. 

20 years. He is said to have been of low statue and 
ungraceful form. He was educated by Aristotle, 
for whom he ever afterwards had the highest 
respect, and under such a master, made a most 
rapid progress in learning. He possessed a gene- 
rous and heroic disposition, distinguished talents, 
and unbounded ambition. He very early became 
the most expert horseman in his father's court, and 
was the only person who dared to back the famous 
war-horse Bucephalus, sent as a present to Philip, 
which was so fiery and high-mettled, that no one 
could break him. Philip seeing Alexander on this 
ungovernable horse, cried out in rapture, " Seek, 
my son, another kingdom ; Macedonia is not wor- 
thy to contain you !" The Thebans having risen 
in rebellion, Alexander defeated them with great 
slaughter, destroying their city, and sold 30,000 
of the inhabitants for slaves. He then assembled 
the deputies of the Grecian states at Corinth, who 
solemnly elected him to be commander-in-chief of 
the Greeks against Persia. 

Alexander, having assembled an army of 30,000 
foot and 5,000 horse, with the sum of 70 talents, 
and provisions only for a month, crossed the Helles- 
pont. Darius, king of Persia, resolved to crush at 
once the young hero, met him at the river Granicus, 
with 100,000 foot and 10,000 horse. Alexander, 
eager to engage the enemy, plunged into the river, 
and was followed by his troops, and gaining the 
opposite bank, attacked the astonished Persians, 
and put to flight their whole army. The Persians 
lost in this engagement 20,000 foot and 2,500 
horse : the loss of Alexander was only about 200 
men, among whom were 25 horsemen of the royal 
guard, to whose memory he ordered statues to be 
erected. Drawing from his first success a presage 
of continued victory, he sent home his fleet ; thus 
showing his army that they must conquer Asia or 
perish in the attempt. 



ANCIENT HISTORY. 315 

Alexander having for some time continued his 
march without resistance, was at length attacked 
by the Persian army under Darius, in a narrow 
valley of Cilicia, near the town of Isms. The 
Persian host amounted to 400,000 men ; but their 
situation was such, that only a small part of their 
force could come into action, and they were defeated 
with great slaughter, their loss being 110,000, while 
the Greeks lost only 450 men. The mother and 
two daughters of Darius fell into the hands of the 
conqueror. The real greatness and heroism of 
Alexander, now in the bloom of youth, unmarried, 
and a conqueror, shone forth in the greatest luster. 
He would not trust himself in the presence of the 
queen of Darius,* who was a woman of great 
beauty. Far from attempting to derive any un- 
generous advantage from his victory, he treated 
his illustrious captives with the greatest kindness 
and respect. In consequence of the battle of Issus, 
the whole of Syria submitted to Alexander. Da- 
mascus, where Darius had deposited his treasures, 
was surrendered by the governor, and the whole 
of Phoenicia, with the exception of Tyre. 

Alexander now directed his course towards Tyre, 
and demanded admittance into it, in order to offer 
a sacrifice to the Tyrian Hercules. Being refused, 
he immediately besieged the city. New Tyre, 
which was situated on an island opposite the old 
city, seemed to be unconquerable without a fleet. 
Alexander, with immense labor, attempted to join 
the island to the continent by a causeway. The 
Sidonians, and some other people, whom he had 
treated with gentleness, at last found ships for 
carrying on the enterprise. He then hastened the 
siege, and all sorts of warlike instruments were 
employed by both parties. The place was finally 
taken by storm, after a siege of eight months. 
About 8,000 of the inhabitants were put to death, 
aud 30,000 sold into slavery. Having taken Gaza, 



816 ANCIENT HISTORY. 

Alexander passed into Egypt, which readily sub- 
mitted to his authority, and while here, he founded 
the city of Alexandria, at the mouth of the Nile. 

Returning from Egypt, Alexander Trent into 
Assyria, where he was met by Darius, at Arbela, 
at the head of 700,000 men. Darius offered Alex- 
ander, as terms of peace, ten thousand talents, bis 
daughter in marriage, and the whole country from 
the Euphrates to the Hellespont. These terms 
being rejected, Alexander informed Darius that he 
had no occasion for his money, and as for the pro- 
vinces he named, he already conquered them, and 
that he was ready for another battle, which would 
probably decide who should remain the conqueror, 
and that " the world could no .more admit two 
masters than two suns." A battle took place, in 
which the Persians were defeated, with the loss of 
300,000 men. Darius escaped, and fled from pro- 
vince to province, until he was at last murdered 
by one of his own officers. Thus ended the Persian 
empire, which submitted to the conqueror 330 
years before the Christian era, after having existed 
two hundred and six years from the time of Cyrus 
the Great. 

After the conquest of Persia, Alexander pro- 
jected the conquest of India, fully persuaded that 
the gods had decreed him the sovereignty of the 
whole habitable globe. Finding his troops incum- 
bered with baggage, by which his march was 
retarded, he gave orders to set fire to it, and began 
by burning his own. He penetrated into India, 
where JPorus, a powerful monarch, opposing his 
further progress, was defeated and taken prisoner. 
He penetrated to the Ganges, and would have 
advanced to the eastern ocean, had the spirit of 
his army kept pace with his ambition. But his 
soldiers, seeing no end to their toils, refused to 
proceed any farther eastward. He, therefore, re- 
turned to the Indus, and caused his army to sail 



ANCIENT HISTORY. 317 

down that river to the ocean: here he sent his 
fleet to the Persian Gulf, under Nearchus, and with 
the main body of his army, marched across the 
desert of Persepolis. 

" Finding no more worlds to conquer," Alexan- 
der abandoned himself to every excess of luxury 
and debauchery. It is related, that, through the 
instigation of Thais, a woman of low character, 
while he was in a drunken frolic, he fired the city 
of Persepolis. This place was the ancient capital 
of Persia, the ruins of which astonish the traveler 
to this day, by their grandeur and magnificence. 
The arrogance of Alexander was now increased, 
and the ardor of his passions, heightened by con- 
tinual intemperance, broke out into acts of outra- 
geous cruelty ; and while in the heat of passion, he 
killed Clitus, his best friend. At this period of his 
life, he appears to have been swollen by flattery and 
enervated by vice, and to have acted the part of a 
tyrant. While at Babylon, at an entertainment 
which he gave to one of his officers, he drank to 
such excess, that it brought on a fever. Finding 
that there was no hope of recovery, he delivered 
his ring to Perdiccas. On being asked to whom 
he left the empire, he replied, " To the most wor- 
thy." Perdiccas having asked him how soon he 
desired they should pay divine honors to his 
memory, he answered, " When ye shall be happy." 
These were his last words. 

After the death of Alexander, 323 years B. C, 
his dominions were divided among his four princi- 
pal officers. The empire of the great conqueror 
continued in a troubled and unsettled state, till the 
Romans became masters of the world. 



THE ROMAN MONARCHY, 

Extends from the time of Julius Cesar, B, 0. 49, to the 
extinction of the Western Empire, A. D. 476. 




At the decline of the Grecian power, the Romans from small 
beginnings began to assume sovereign dominion. Julius Cesar, 
the first of the name, extended his conquests in every direction, 
Roman governors held dominion over remote provinces. The 
christian era commenced at the time the Romans were masters 
of the world. 

Rome, the last of the four great empires of anti- 
quity, became, after the conquest of Greece, the 
leading object of attention. It rose gradually from 



ANCIEXT HISTORY. 319 

small beginnings to almost universal empire. The 
duration of the Roman power, or that of its history, 
embraces a period of about twelve centuries — from 
the foundation of Rome to the destruction of the 
empire, after the Christian era. The great interval 
may be divided into three grand and distinct 
epochs, or periods, namely: 1. Rome under The 
Kings; 2. The Republic y 3. The Emperors. 

The early history of the Romans, like that of 
other ancient nations, is mixed with fable. It 
appears, however, that they were governed by 
kings for 245 years ; and during the reign of the 
kings, and the early part of the republic, the 
Roman territories extended only about fifteen or 
twenty miles around the capital. 

JSfuma Pompilius^ a Sabine, was elected second 
king of Rome. He is represented as a virtuous 
prince, who cherished the arts of peace, obedience 
to the laws, and a respect for religion. 

Tullius Hostilius, the third king, was of a warlike 
disposition. His reign is memorable for the roman- 
tic story of the Uoratii, three brothers, who fought 
for Ronie, and the Curiatii, also three brothers, 
who fought for Alba. One of the Horatii sur- 
vived, all the rest being slain, and by this contest 
the Romans became masters of Alba. 

Ancus Martius, the fourth king, conquered the 
Latins, and built the port of Ortia, at the mouth 
of the Tiber. 

Tarquin, the Elder, was elected the fifth king 
of Rome, which he embellished with various works 
of utility. 

Servius Tullius succeeded Tarquin. He created 
the Roman aristocracy, established the census, in 
which the numer of citizens, their dwellings, num- 
ber of children, and amount of property were 
ascertained. 

Tarquin, surnamed the Proud, the last king, 
began his reign by putting to death the chief 



320 ANCIENT HISTORY. 

senators ; and by his tyranny and cruelty disgusted 
all classes of his subjects, and was expelled the 
throne about 509 years. 

Sextus, a son of Tarquin the Proud, after hav- 
ing entered the house of Collatinus, under the 
mask and guise of friendship, did violence to his 
wife, Lucretia, a noble Roman lady, distinguished 
for her beauty and domestic virtues. The unhappy 
Lucretia immediately sent for her husband and 
father, revealed to them the indignity she had 
received, conjured them to avenge her wrong, and 
stabbed herself with a dagger she had concealed 
about her clothes. Her husband and friends were 
filled with grief, rage and despair. Brutus, a 
relative, and a reputed fool, seizing the bloody 
dagger, and lifting it towards heaven, exclaimed, 
" Be witness ye gods, that from this moment I 
proclaim myself the avenger of the chaste Lucre- 
tia's cause. Henceforth, my life shall be employed 
in opposition to tyranny, and for the freedom and 
happiness of my country." The body of Lucretia 
was carried to the public square, the vengeance of 
the people was aroused, the senate banished Tar- 
quin and his family forever from the Roman state, 
and the kingly government was abolished 509 years 
before the Christian era. 

The regal or kingly government being abolished, 
a republican form of government was established. 
The supreme power belong-ed to the senate and 
people ; and it was agreed ts commit the supreme 
authority to two consuls, who were to be chosen 
annually from the patrician families. These con- 
suls had the disposal of the public money, the power 
of assembling the people, raising armies, naming 
all the officers, and the rig^ht of making peace and 
war. In fact, their j>ower scarcely. difiered from 
that of the kings, except their authority was limit- 
ed to a year. 

The Romans being a warlike people, extended 



ANCIENT HISTORY. 321 

their conquests in various directions, and all the 
states of Italy submitted to their power. The first 
Punic or Carthagenian war was undertaken by the 
Romans against Carthage, 264 years before Christ, 
and lasted twenty-four years. The second Punic 
war commenced after an interval of twenty-three 
years. In this war Hannibal, the Carthagenian 
general, distinguished himself at first by victories 
over the Romans. He was finally subdued on the 
plains of Lama, about five days' journey from Car- 
thage, which ended this war 202 years before 
Christ, after having continued for seventeen years. 

The third Punic war commenced about fifty 
years after the close of the second. The Cartha- 
genians at this time began to recover from the ab- 
ject state to which their former wars had reduced 
them. The Romans becoming jealous of their 
growing power, demanded three young Cartha- 
genians of the first distinction as hostages ; after 
this their arms were demanded, and finally they 
were required to remove from Carthage. 

This last demand of the Romans filled the inhab- 
ants with indignation and despair: they shut their 
gates and determined to defend themselves to the 
last extremity. The delay of the Roman consuls, 
who did not expect much resistance from a dis- 
armed city, gave time to the inhabitants to make 
preparations for a siege. The temples, palaces and 
open squares were changed into arsenals, where 
men and women wrought day and night in the 
manufacture of arms. After a desperate resistance 
for three years, the city was taken by Scipio, and 
was burnt by a fire which raged during seventeen 
days. Such of the inhabitants as disdained to sur- 
render themselves as prisoners of war were either 
massacred or perished in the flames. Thus was 
Carthage, which had existed for 700 years, and con- 
taining at the commencement of the war 700,000 
jnhabitantSj reduced to ashes, and even Scipio, the 



322 ANCIENT HISTORY. 

Roman consul, wept over the ruins of the proud 
rival of his country. 

Julius Cesar rose into notice by his military ser- 
vices in various parts of the Roman Empire. In 
fifty-five years before Christ he invaded Britain and 
obtained advantages over the natives. It is related 
by historians that Cesar, in his expeditions into 
Gaul, Germany, and other places, during the space 
of ten years, conquered 800 cities. He also sub- 
dued 300 different nations or tribes, and defeated 
in different battles 3,000,000 of men, of which 
about a million were slain in battle and an equal 
number made prisoners. 

Cesar having conquered all opposing nations, he 
turned his attention to the improvement of his em- 
pire. He also reformed the calendar, regulating 
the year according to the course of the sun. Two 
months were added, and the whole year divided in- 
to 365 days. He also added one day to every fourth 
year in the month of February, and that year was 
named Bissextile, or leap year. Caesar received 
great honors from his countrymen — was declared 
Imperator or Emperor, and his person was declared 
sacred. These proceedings created the envy and 
jealousy of his enemies. A conspiracy was formed 
against him, and he was assassinated in the Senate 
house forty-four years before the commencement 
of the Christian era. 

After the death of Julius Cesar, Octavius, Mark 
Anthony, and Lepidus, the Second Triumvirate, 
became masters of Rome. In the year 31, before 
Christ, the Roman Commonwealth was ended, and 
Octavius became Emperor of Rome, who soon after 
received the title of Augustus Cesar. 



MODERN HISTORY, 

COMMENCING "WITH 

THE CHRISTIAN ERA. 

A. I>. It© ...A.B. 100. 




FIRST CENTURY. 

Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind, born, (it is supposed) 
four years before the commencement of the Christian era. In 
the year 29 he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, the Roman 
Governor of Judca. In- A. D. 10, Jerusalem teas taken and 
destroyed by Titus. About one million and a half of Jews 
perished. Since this period they have been scattered, accord- 
ing to the prediction of Moses, from one end of the earth to 
the other. 



324 MODERN HISTORY. 

When - Jesus Christ appeared upon earth a great 
part of the world was subject to the Roman Empire. 
The Romans had first subdued the land of Judea, 
about sixty or seventy years before Christ, and 
Rome was mistress of the world ; and, although 
weakened by internal dissensions, they had not de- 
stroyed her power. While her streets were red 
with the blood of her citizens, her conquests were 
extending in Asia and in Germany on the Rhine. 

The Emperor, Octavius Augustus, joined in his 
own person whatever denomination conferred dig- 
nity and power; but while in the enjoyment of this 
he was unconscious that in the village of Judea, 
in the lowest rank in his dominions, Christ, his mas- 
ter, was born, and by this event the current of the 
world's history was changed. 

In all directions away from the central point of 
Jerusalem, traveled the messages of the Christian 
dispensation. Tiberius, who, fourteen years after 
the birth of Christ, was the successor of Augustus, 
built up, by slow degrees, the most dreadful ty- 
ranny the world had ever known, and from this 
period mankind had nothing to hope but from the 
bounty of the Emperor. This is the main feature 
of the first century, where we see one man, gorged 
and brutalized, sitting on the throne of earthly 
power, and all the rest of mankind in submission 
at his feet. 

In the year 37 came Caligula, more openly blood- 
thirsty than his predecessors. He had a peculiar 
way of nodding with his head at a man, and the 
executioner knew the sign, and the man he nodded 
to died. For the more distinguished citizens he 
kept a box of snuff, but of some deadly and instan- 
taneous poison. Whoever refused a pinch died as 
a traitor, and whoever took one, died of its fatal ef- 
fects. 

The Romans, degenerate as they had become, 
could not endure this long, and Chereas, an officer 



• MODEEN HISTORY. 325 

of his guard, put Caligula to death after his bloody 
reign of four years. But the empire was not im- 
proved under the reign of Claudius and his wife 
Messalina, whose infamous name has become a 
symbol of all that is detestable in the female sex. 

In the year 44 of this century, Aulas Platias landed 
in Britain at the head of a powerful army, and the 
tide of victory and settlement did not subside till 
the whole country as far north as Scotland submit- 
ted to the Roman Empire. 

The contrast between the central power at Rome 
and the officials employed at a distance continued 
for a long time the most remarkable circumstance 
in the history of the empire. Tiberias, Caligula, 
and Claudius vied with each other in destroying 
the happiness of mankind, but their generals dis- 
played the courage and virtue of an earlier age. 

Messalina was put to death, and another disgrace 
to womanhood, Agrippina, took her place beside 
Claudius for thirteen years, till, with the aid of her 
physician, she rid the world of a monster by giv- 
ing him a dish of poisoned mushrooms, and anoint- 
ing his throat for a hoarseness with a poisoned 
feather. 

The next emperor, Nero, for the first five years 
seemed to give promise of a far different reign, for 
he seemed anxious to fulfill the duties of his posi- 
tion. Some of his actions were generous, some of 
them cruel, till the tide changed, and he exceeded 
even his predecessors in tyranny. He burned the 
city in mere wantonness of crime, and then fixed 
the blame on the unoffending Christians. 

He persecuted them in every way that cruelty 
could devise ; threw young maidens to the hungry ti- 
gers in the amphitheatre, had them enclosed in pitch 
and other inflammable materials, and then set fire 
to them, that he might pursue his sports all night 
by the light of their burning bodies. He was as- 
sassinated at the age of thirty-two. 



326 MODEEN HISTOST. 

After the death of Nero, the fury against the 
Christians abated. But about the year 93 the em- 
peror Domitian commenced a severe persecution 
against them, but it was of short duration, as the 
emperor was soon after murdered. Several suffered 
death as martyrs, a term borrowed from the sacred 
writings, and denoting they were witnesses for 
Christ. In the midst of this persecution, John the 
Apostle was banished to the isle of Patmos. 

The world at this time may be considered as 
given up to idolatry. Though the idea of one su- 
preme God was not wholly extinct, yet most na- 
tions, except the Jews, believed in a powerful set 
of beings whom they called gods, whom they must 
propitiate by various rites and ceremonies. The 
greater part of the gods of all nations were ancient 
heroes, kings, generals, and founders of cities. To 
these some added objects in the natural world, as 
the sun, moon and stars, and some paid divine 
honors to mountains, rivers and trees, the ocean 
and winds, or to the deities supposed to preside 
over those objects. 

The worship of the gods consisted mostly of cer- 
emonies which were absurd, debasing, and cruel, 
and prayers which were void of piety, and sacrifi- 
ces and offerings which varied according to the 
nature and offices of the different gods. Most 
nations sacrificed animals, and not a few of them 
immolated human victims. 

The priests and pontiffs of the gods were sup- 
posed to enjoy familiar converse with the gods, and 
they basely used their authority to impose on the 
people. The worship of most nations was confined 
to certain places, or temples, and at stated times. 
In the groves and temples where the statues of the 
gods were located these images were supposed to 
be animated in an inexplicable manner by the gods 
themselves. 

Besides this common worship there were con- 



MODERN HISTORY. 327 

cealed rites called mysteries, to which very few 
were admitted, and they could not reveal anything 
they had seen without exposing their lives, and 
hence it is that so little of these hidden rites is 
known at the present day. All of the gods wor- 
shipped were distinguished more for their vices 
than their virtues, and were considered exempt 
from death ; but, except superiority in power in all 
things else, on a level with mankind. From these 
and other sources a universal corruption of morals 
prevailed. 

At the time of the birth of Christ two religions 
flourished in Palestine, the Jewish and Samaritan, 
between whose followers there existed a deadly 
hatred. In almost every large province lived a 
large number of Jews, who lived by traffic and 
mechanic trades. 

In the year TO of the Christian era, Jerusalem 
was destroyed, fulfilling a long series of prophecies. 
The accounts given of it surpasses in horror any- 
thing of the kind. War, famine, and pestilence 
raged fearfully, and all forgot even the ties of nat- 
ural affection, and fought even for a handful of 
meal, and a mother killed her own child for food. 

After a blockade of six months Jerusalem was 
taken, the inhabitants were either dead or dying, 
and the temple, that cherished glory of the Jews, 
was so totally destroyed as to fulfill the prophecy 
of our Lord, who declared that not one stone should 
be left upon another. It is estimated that upwards 
of a million of the Jews perished in the siege. 
From the period of the destruction of the city the 
Jews have been scattered, according to the predic- 
tion of Moses, from one end of the earth to the 
other. 



328 



MODEEN HISTORY 



A. I>. 100 to A. D. 200, 




SECOND CENTURY. 

The Roman emperors in this century were the persecutors of 
Christianity. In 108, St. Ignatius was devouredby wild beasts 
at Rome. Polycarp was burnt at Smyrna. Justin Martyr, a 
celebrated philosopher, embraced Christianity, published an 
Apology for the Christians to the emperor, Christian churches 
gathered in Gaul, now called France, persecution soon followed, 
and this century closed amid the infernal triumphs of persecu- 
tion. 

The second century began under the reign of 
Trajan, whose monument is still to be seen at 
Rome. It is a beautiful column, with windng 
stairs within to ascend to the top, and the outside 
is ornamented with sculpture representing the con- 
quests of Trajan over the Dacians, whose king, De- 



MODERN HISTORY. 329 

cebalus, he reduced to such despair that he put an 
end to his own life. The Jews were entirely sub- 
jected to the Romans, and scattered abroad, but 
nothing could deter them from visiting Jerusalem 
to weep and die amid the ruins of so much power 
and glory. 

Trajan at first persecuted the Christians, but 
Pliny the younger, who was consul of Bythinia, 
where a great number oi Christians resided, having 
written to the emperor a very elegant letter, in 
which he bears witness to their innocence, Trajan 
stopped the proceedings against them. St. John 
the Evangelist died in the beginning of his reign, 
above ninety years of age. At this time lived Plu- 
tarch, the celebrated Greek philosopher, and Taci- 
tus, who wrote the history of Rome, and Pliny, 
whose letters are still extant. 

Trajan died after having reigned nineteen years. 
His successor was Adrian, who wrote against a cel- 
ebrated philosopher, who, instead of answering 
him, observed, " It is dangerous to write against 
one who has the power of prescribing." When 
his favorite, a handsome young man named Anti- 
nous, was drowned in the Nile, he caused him to be 
ranked among the gods, and erected temples to him, 
so that he was worshipped as a deity throughout 
the Roman Empire. 

Adrian persecuted the Christians, but found it 
useless proceeding against a people who gloried in 
martyrdom,, and where it was only followed by new 
conversions. He therefore tried what an opposite 
course would effect, and is said to have intended to 
erect a temple to Jesus Christ. " Take care what 
you do," said one of his advisers ; " if you permit 
an altar to the God of Christians those of the other 
gods will be forsaken." 

The Jews were so incensed at the privileges 
granted the pagans in their city that they revolted, 
and were not subdued till after a bloody war, in 



1 



330 MODERN HISTORY. 

which great numbers of them perished. The chief 
of this revolt was a man who called himself Ba- 
rocheba, or the " son of the star," who asserted 
that he was the Messiah. He perished in the war, 
leaving behind him a name everywhere detested 
among the Jews. 

After the death of Adrian Justin Martyr wrote 
two Apologies for the Christian religion, to which 
he was converted. This holy man, whose works 
are still extant, was burnt alive at Rome. At this 
period flourished Gdlcn, a great physician and phi- 
losopher. After this time the empire was governed 
by Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, and during 
their reign the Christians suffered less persecution, 
though the laws of the empire were against them. 
A learned Christian, Athenegoras, addressed to 
Marcus an Apology for the Christian religion, 
which it is thought had some effect upon him. He 
died in the year 180, and his son, Commodus, re- 
vived the conduct of Nero, and reigned about 
twelve years, and put to death a great number of 
innocent persons. He had written upon his tablets 
the names of several whom he designed to put to 
death next day, but some of them seeing their own 
names on the list, strangled him to save their lives. 

His successor was an old man who reigned only 
three months, and was then massacred by the sol- 
diers, who afterward put up the empire for sale to 
the highest bidder, who was an old senator named 
Decliras, who, at the end of two months, was as- 
sassinated by the same soldiers who elected him. 

A celebrated general named Severus then caused 
himself to be chosen emperor by his troops, and 
having conquered two other generals, was master 
of the empire. He used his power without re- 
morse, and all who were of distinguished birth, 
and all who had borne high office, and were of 
great wealth, were put to death, and though his 
cruelty at last made him hateful to his soldiers, yet 



MODERN HISTOEY. 331 

his love of justice became of so much service to 
them, that he died universally regretted. 

He went over to England and repressed a rebel- 
lion there, whither his son Caracalla accompanied 
him, and commenced his career with such warlike 
ferocity which can only be accounted for on the 
ground of his being mad. He attempted to kill 
his own father in the sight of the soldiers in open 
day. He was creeping stealthily upon the old man, 
who, turning around, gave his son such a look 
that the sword dropped from his hand, and, al- 
though he was pardoned, his accomplices suffered 
cruel deaths. 

When Severus felt his end approaching, he called 
his two sons, Geta and Caracalla, and told them to 
live in unity, and ended by giving them the advice 
which has become the standing maxim of all mili- 
tary tyrants. "Be generous to the soldiers, and 
trample on all beside." Severus built, in Britain, 
a large wall entirely across the northern part of the 
island, to prevent the incursions of the Picts, who 
inhabited that part of it now called Scotland. Some 
traces of this wall are to be seen at the present day. 

In the year 108, St. Ignatius was devoured by 
wild beasts at Rome, and other martyrs., JPepetua 
and Felicitas, two noble Christian matrons, on ac- 
count of professing the Christian faith, were thrown 
to the wild beasts in the ampitheatre at Rome. In 
this century, Tertullian, a native of Carthage, in 
Africa, and a writer of note, defended the Chris- 
tians. 



332 MODERN HISTOET. 

A. D. 200 to A. », 30O. 




THIRD CENTURY. 

In the beginning of this century Tertullian, and many learn- 
ed men, renounced Paganism in its various forms, trampled on 
Idolatry and embraced Christianity. The temple of Diana, at 
Ephesus, burnt. At the close of the Tliird Century, the parti- 
tion of the Roman Empire took place, under two Emperors and 
two Cesars. Great pestilence in Africa, 

In the twelfth year of this century, Oaracalla in- 
vited his brother Geta to meet him in their mother's 
apartment to settle some family difficulty, and then 
stabbed him in her arms, thereby securing the 
whole of the empire to himself. Before this, he 
had been so impatient for the death of his father, 
that he told all the physicians of his court to poi- 



MODERN HISTORY. 333 

son Sever us in his last sickness, and as they did not 
perform his orders, he caused them all to be put to 
death. After the death of Geta, he commanded 
Papineus, a celebrated lawyer, to deliver an oration 
to the Senate justifying the murderous deed ; but 
as Papineus replied " that it was more easy to com- 
mit a fratricide than to excuse one," he had his 
head cut off on the spot. He reigned a little 
more than six years, and throughout practiced noth- 
ing but violence and wickedness, and was then as- 
sassinated by the advice of Macrinus, a Pretorian 
general, who, with his son, reigned one year, and 
were then assassinated by their soldiers. 

Caracalla was succeeded by ITeliogahaZus, (said 
by some to be the son of Caracalla,) whose extrav- 
agance rapidly exhausted the resources of the em- 
pire. His floors were spread with gold dust, and 
his dress, jewels and ornaments were never worn 
twice. His conduct was so infamous that all his- 
torians speak of it with horror ; and as he at 
last attempted to take the life of his cousin Alex- 
ander, the troops revolted, and slew him and his 
mother at the same time, after he had reigned 
three years. 

Alexander Severus, the next emperor, at the age 
of sixteen, was gifted with higher- qualities than 
the debased people over whom he reigned could 
appreciate. His mother, according to some writers, 
had professed Christianity, and his noblest senti- 
ments are traced from her teachings. 

When he appointed the governor of a province, 
he published his name some time before, and if any 
person had any objection, they sent it in for his con- 
sideration. " It is thus that the Christians appoint 
their pastors," said he, " and I will do the same 
with my representatives." He also caused those 
words of the Evangelist to be inscribed on marble, 
and also proclaimed to his army, " Do not unto 
others what ye would not they should not do unto 
you." 



334 MODERN HISTORY. 

One of his favorite leaders was Maxininus, a 
Thracian peasant, who was eight feet high, and 
could overthrow thirty wrestlers without taking 
breath. He kept up his great strength by eating 
forty pounds of meat and drinking twelve quarts 
of wine. This giant had the bravery for which the 
Goths, his countrymen, have always been celebra- 
ted, and rose to high rank in the Roman service ; 
but at last, to gratify his ambition, he murdered 
his benefactor, Alexander, and his mother. 

The soldiers who assisted Maxininus elected him 
emperor, and he began to follow the example of 
the other tyrants by persecuting the Christians. 
The Senate, tired of Maxininus, acknowledged 
Gordian and his son of the same name, as emperors, 
and drove out of the city all those who adhered to 
Maximin. The two Gordians, however, only en- 
joyed their power in Africa, and that only for a 
year, for Capelliauus, a man on the side of Maxi- 
min, having defeated their army, the elder Gordian 
strangled himself, and his son died in battle. 

There were many rivals for the empire, each 
threatening vengeance on the other. In the year 
253, Valerian was made emperor. He possessed 
some good qualities, yet during his reign he ordered 
the martyrdom of St. Cyprian, Bishop of Car- 
thage, who was celebrated for his piety and elo- 
quence, some of whose works are still extant. 
Valerian was taken prisoner by Sapor, king of Per- 
sia, and condemned, with other captive kings, to 
draw the car of his conqueror. He died among 
his enemies, who hung up his skin as an offering to 
their gods. 

After some years there were twenty emperors at 
one time, and the soldiers, made wise by experi- 
ence, resolved not to elect a new emperor, but left 
it to the Roman Senate, who, after eight months, 
elected a senator named Claudius Tacitus, whose 
virtues rendered him worthy of the honor ; but he 
died after a reign of six months. 



MODEEN HISTORY. 335 

After some years, JProbus, the son of a gardener, 
became emperor, and was one of the most valiant 
and wise princes that ever sat on the Roman throne. 
He settled a large army of Franks on the shores of 
the Black Sea, subdued the Persians, extended his 
conquests into the far east, and brought back some 
of the Ethiopian natives to astonish the Roman cit- 
izens by their appearance. Probus was slain by 
his soldiers after a reign of six months. 

In the year 284, Diocletian began to reign. A 
prophetess having told him he would attain his 
highest wish if he killed a wild boar, he was con- 
stantly on the lookout with his spear in his hand. 
Unluckily for a man who had offended him some 
time before, whose name was Aper, which in Latin 
signifies a boar, he was led before the throne. Di- 
ocletian descended and stabbed him in the breast, 
exclaiming, " I have killed the wild boar of the 
prediction!" Diocletian assumed the name of 
Jove, to show his adherence to the old faith of 
the gods, and had a hatred of Christianity, and the 
persecution under his name was the severest they 
had ever known. 

The characteristic of the third century is its 
want of order. There were tyrants and rivals for 
power in every quarter of the empire, and amidst 
all this confusion grew slowly and surely the Chris- 
tian faith. Many illustrious men and senators were 
converted to Christianity, and public churches were 
built for divine worship. 

The Franks, in the year 277, made themselves 
masters of Batavia, and remained in possession of 
it for more than a hundred years. The Franks 
were Germans, who, after a time, settled in Gaul, 
afterwards called France. 



336 MODERN HISTORY. 

A. B. 300 to A. D. 400. 




FOURTH CENTURY. 

This century was ushered in by the tenth persecution of the 
Christians. Constantine, the Roman emperor, is said to have 
been converted by the appearance of a luminous cross in the 
heavens over which were toords signifying " By this conquer." 
He removes the seat of empire from Rome to Byzantium, 
which he afterwards named Constantinople. Julian, {called, 
the Apostate,) one of his successors, abjures Christianity. He 
attempts to rebuild Jerusalem, to give the lie to prophecy, but is 
defeated by fiery eruptions which destroyed his workmen and 
materials. 

In the year 304 Diocletian abdicated the throne, 
and was succeeded by Galerius, Constantinus, and 
Maximin. They did not reign long, for in the year 
306, Constantine ascended the throne, and, after 



MODERN HISTORY. 337 

many struggles with his rivals, attained the sole 
power. He transferred the seat of empire from 
Rome to a city on the limits of Europe. To this 
splendid city Constantine removed in 329, and 
Rome was stripped that Constantinople might be 
filled. 

The images of the gods were left in Rome, for 
he was determined from the beginning that Con- 
stantinople should be a Christian city. It is sup- 
posed that his mother, who was a Christian, in- 
spired him with a veneration for religion at an early 
age, and he was induced to make an open avowal 
of his sentiments by a miracle. 

When Constantine was marching at the head of 
his army, he had a vision of a bright and shining 
cross in the sky with this inscription around it : 
" By this thou shalt conquer T 

He was victorious, and his first object was to 
restore peace to the Christian church, which had for 
a number of years endured the most violent perse- 
cutions. 

Zealous for the repose of the church, he assem- 
bled his council of bishops from all parts of the 
Roman Empire at Nice, in the year 335, and pre- 
sided over by Constantine in person, and formed 
the Nicene creed, which is still the type of Chris- 
tendom, but it consists more in a condemnation of 
the heresies which were then in the ascendant than 
in a plain statement of the Christian faith. A lay- 
man of simple and common sense, we are told, met 
some of the disputants, saying, " Arguers ! Christ 
delivered to us not the art of disputation or empty 
eloquence, but a plain and simple rule, which is 
maintained by faith and good works." 

Constantine died in the year 337, and was suc- 
ceeded by his three sons, the second one of which, 
Constantius, made a successful war against the Per- 
sians, and would have conducted himself with great 
prudence, had he not yielded to the counsels of his 
29 



388 MODERN HISTORY. 

courtiers, who took advantage of his indolence. 
The Germans in the vicinity of the Rhine having 
began a war upon the Romans, Constantius gave 
the command of his army to his cousin Julian, and 
sent him into that country. In this war, by his 
courage, Julian gained the affections of his soldiers, 
so that they proclaimed him emperor, and revolted 
from Constantius, who set out with an army against 
Julian, but fell sick and died in a town in Cecilia. 

Julian had great and noble qualities ; he was just, 
sober, chaste and valiant, and very learned, but 
stained his character by a hatred to Christianity. 
His frequent intercourse with pagan philosophers, 
it is thought, led him secretly to renounce the 
Christian religion, in which he had been educated 
in his infancy. He endeavored to revive the wor- 
ship of the gods, and nearly exhausted the empire 
by the number of beasts he slew for offerings at 
the shrines of Dodona and Delos at Delphi. 

He rebuilt the temples and persecuted the Chris- 
tians, not by fire and the sword, but with contempt. 
He called them " Galileans" and robbed them of 
their property, to try the sincerity of their faith. 
"Does not your law command you," said he, " to 
submit to injury, and to renounce your wordly 
goods ? " Well, I take possession of your riches, 
that your march to heaven may be unencumbered !" 
He attempted to rebuild the temple of Jerusalem, 
with a view of disproving the prophecies of Christ, 
but was prevented by naming fire which issued 
from the earth and destroyed the workmen who 
were digging at the foundations. 

Julian was stabbed at the age of thirty-one, 
while he was urging his troops to combat. As he 
had vowed the ruin of Christianity on his return 
from this expedition, as he felt himself mortally 
wounded, he filled his hand with his blood and 
sprinkled it toward heaven, saying, " 0, Galilean, 
thou hast conquered." He was succeeded by Jo- 



MODERN HISTORY. 339 

vian, a native of Hungary, who was a pious Chris- 
tian prince, who restored to the Christians all the 
privileges that Constantine had granted them, but 
died after a reign of eight months. 

In this century, while the Franks were possess- 
ors of Batavia, they were engaged in defending 
themselves against the attacks of the Saxons and 
other barbarous nations, who afterwards pene- 
trated farther into the Roman Empire. At length, 
towards the year 463, the Franks became sole mas- 
ters of these territories. 

Near the close of this century, the Goths ex- 
tended their ravages into the Roman Empire. This 
people were, for many generations, settled on the 
northern banks of the Danube. There appears to 
have been considerable intercourse between them 
and the Romans. The Huns, a barbarous race in- 
habiting the northern part of Asia, in the vicinity 
of the Black Sea, extended their conquests into 
Europe. The Gothic tribes, alarmed at their ap- 
proach, petitioned Valens, the Roman emperor, to 
give them an asylum on the south, or Roman side 
of the Danube. Their prayer was granted, on con- 
dition of depositing their children and arms in Ro- 
man hands. Owing to their distressed situation, 
they accepted the terms. The Goths, numbering, 
it is said, upwards of a million of souls, were trans- 
planted across the Danube. 

The treacheries of the Romans exasperated the 
Goths against them, and under their leader, Friti- 
gern, they rose up in arms against their oppressors. 
Valens, the emperor, incensed at their audacity, at 
the head of 300,000 men, met them on the plain of 
Adrianople. The Goths, seeing their existence 
was at stake, fought desperately. The emperor 
was defeated, leaving two-thirds of his army on the 
field of battle. The Goths now extended their 
ravages to the suburbs of Constantinople. 



340 MODEEI HISTORY. 

A. S>. 400 to A. !>. 500, 




FIFTH CENTURY. 

The Goths or Scandinavians under Alaric ravaged Greece 
and Italy and other parts of the Roman Empire. Atilla, the 
Hun, also came down upon the empire, and Rome from being 
the mistress of the world was, by the northern barbarians, cast 
from her high estate and prostrated. The last Emperor, 
Romulus Augustus, to save his life resigned the empire, which 
thus became extant, after having existed more than 500 years. 
In 451, the Saxons from Germany arrived in Britain. 

At the commencement of the fifth century, the 
empire was in the hands of Arcadius and Honorius, 
the former had the eastern empire for his portion, 
and Honorius, who was only eleven years of age, 
had the western, both of which began rapidly to 
decline. 



MODERN HISTORY. 341 

Honorius passed his life in idolence, wholly 
governed by Stilicho, his father-in-law, a Goth by 
birth, and a man of great valor, but whose ambi- 
tion was the cause of his ruin. 

He had several times vanquished the Gauls, who 
threatened to invade Italy, and made a secret treaty 
with one of their kings, named Alaric, and at- 
tempted to raise his son to the empire ; but the 
conspiracy was discovered, and Honorius caused 
Stilicho, his wife and son to be put to death. 

Alaric proposed a new alliance, which the em- 
peror contemptuously rejected, which so incensed 
him that he marched an army to Rome, which he 
took and pillaged in the year 410. The Goths at 
this time were Christians of the sect of Arius, and 
their king was strongly attached to this religion. 

Alaric previous to this time had received from 
the Romans five thousand pounds of gold and 
thirty thousand pounds of silver, if he would 
retreat from the walls of the city, which he was 
besieging. Rome was oppressed on all sides, for 
the Goths, Vandals, Alans and other barbarous 
nations ravaged Gaul, Spain, and other provinces 
of the Western empire. 

Alaric resolved to push his conquests to the end 
of Italy, but on his march he died among Brutlians. 
To make his grave, a large river was turned from 
its course, and in its channel a deep grave was dug 
and covered with monumental stone. In this, the 
body of Alaric w r as laid, clothed in full armor, and 
the stream turned on again. The prisoners who 
had performed the work were killed to preserve 
the secret, and no one has yet discovered where 
lies the Gothic king. 

After the death of Honorius, in 423, G-enseric, 
king of the Vandals, an Arian in sentiment, 
marched into Africa, at the head of eighty thou- 
sand men. 

This expedition was commenced in 427. At 



342 MODERN HISTORY. 

this period the Goths settled in Spain, the Vandals 
in Africa, the Franks in Gaul, and the Anglo- 
Saxons in Great Britain. 

In the midst of the disorders in Italy, a few of 
its inhabitants, to escape the Goths, built a few 
houses in the Isle Rialto ; this was the origin of 
Venice, the most ancient of all the modern repub- 
lics. The Britons had recourse to the Anglo- 
Saxons to aid them from their enemies, the Picts, 
and having subdued them the Anglo-Saxons turned 
their arms against the Britons, and conquering, 
made themselves masters of the country. Some 
of the Britons seized upon that part of Gaul that 
is now called Brittanny. Others took refuge in 
the mountains of Wales, where their descendants 
still exist. 

In 432 the conversion of the Irish was effected 
by St. Patrick, whose name was originally Lucca- 
thus. In the year 441 the council of Ephesus was 
convened against Nestorius, and in 451 the council 
of Chalcedon against those who taught that there 
was but one nature in Jesus Christ. 

In the reign of Valentinian Hid, Attila, king of 
the Huns, ravaged Gaul and Italy, and put all the 
inhabitants to flight. By reason of his excessive 
cruelty he was called " The scourge of God." He 
first invaded the East, which he ravaged at 
pleasure ; the Emperor Theodosius, at Constanti- 
nople, however, bought his favor by paying tribute. 
He now turned to West, and invaded Gaul, with 
an army of 500,000 men. He was here defeated 
by the Romans, with the loss of 160,000 men, 
which checked his progress for a time, He, how- 
ever, not long afterwards, invaded Italy, and com- 
pelled the Emperor Valentinian to purchase a 
peace. Attila dying suddenly, the earth was 
delivered from a warrior, who never suffered 
Europe to enjoy repose. 

The end of the Roman empire in the West, took 



MODERN HISTORY. 343 

place by the taking of Rome, by Odoacer, prince 
of the Heruli, in 476. The last Emperor, Romulus 
Augustus, had his life spared upon condition of 
resigning the empire to Odoacer, who assumed 
the title of King of Italy. Thus the empire of 
Rome passed from the hands of its ancient masters 
into the possession of those called barbarians, who 
had so long harrassed it by their invasions. As 
an empire, it had existed more than 500 years, 
computing the time from the battle of Actium. 
The whole period of its duration, from the found- 
ing of the city by Romulus, was more than twelve 
hundred years. The ruin of the Roman empire, 
the most powerful the world ever saw, was the 
result of its moral corruption, combined with its 
great extent of territory. Rome, having become 
a mass of luxury, weakness, and profligacy, fell an 
easy prey to the surrounding barbarous nations. 
The kingdom of the Heruli lasted about twenty 
years. The nation of the Ostrogoths, or Eastern 
Goths, under their prince, Theodoric, invaded 
Italy. After a struggle of four years, Odoacer 
surrendered all Italy to the conqueror, and Theo- 
doric (commonly called the Great) was acknowl- 
edged the sovereign of the country, and fixed his 
residence at Ravenna. He reigned about thirty- 
three years, and has the reputation of being an 
able and virtuous prince. The successors of Theo- 
doric, in the Gothic kingdom of Italy, were seven 
in number ; they were succeeded in the sover- 
eignty by the Lombards, another Gothic nation. 
The Goths, at the time of their taking Rome, 
under Alaric, had partially embraced Christianity, 
and though they retained a portion of their bar- 
barian manners, when they settled in Italy, were 
at least as virtuous as the native citizens. 



344 MODERN HISTOEY. 

A. D. 500 to A. I>. 600. 




SIXTH CENTURY. 

The sixth century was distinguished by violent contentions 
between the bishops of Rome and Constantinople for the 
supremacy : excommunication and persecution followed. Dur- 
ing the latter part of the century, Christianity was introduced 
into Britain by Augustine, who, being favored by the Anglo- 
Saxon king and queen of Kent, many converts were made. 
Mohammed ,the great leader of the Arabs or Saracens, began his 



Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, now began 
to reign, and by his wisdom and power exercised 
supremacy over the other monarchs of his time. 
He rebuked or praised the potentates of Europe 
as if they had been his children, and gave them 
advice respecting their affairs, to which they sub- 



MODERN HISTORY, 345 

mitted. He imprisoned the bishop of Rome for 
disobedience of orders in a commission he had 
given him. 

Theodoric gave the command of his armies to 
Belisarius, who, in a short time, made the con- 
quest of Italy, took Naples, and put the inhabi- 
tants to the sword. The Ostrogoths and Franks 
from Burgundy broke into Milan, and the streets 
were piled with dead bodies. About three hun- 
dred thousand were massacred, and multitudes 
died of famine and disease. 

Theodoric caused to be put to death the illustrious 
Christian philosophers Bcetheus and Lymmachus, 
his brother-in-law, both noble and wealthy Romans. 

Also at Ravenna he caused the death of John, 
Bishop of Rome, and committed various other 
cruel and unjust actions. It is said that a short 
time before his death he saw the head of a large 
fish served at table, and fancied that he beheld the 
head of Lymmachus, and the agitation of his con- 
science hastened his end. 

Belisarius first defeated the Persians in the year 
529. The inhabitants of Constantinople revolted 
from their emperor, Justinian, and proclaimed 
Hypatius emperor, and the rebellion was so violent 
that Justinian was on the point of fleeing, when 
Belisarius took arms and re-established Justinian 
on the throne, and put to death 30,000 men in 
Constantinople. In the year 533 he conquered 
Africa, and carried away captive, Gilimer, the last 
king of the Vandals. 

Justinian treated Gilimer humanely, and offered 
him the dignity of senator, if he would renounce 
Arianism, but he not accepting this condition 
Justinian gave him some lands in Cappadocia, 
where he passed the rest of his days in peace and 
affluence. When Gilimer was presented to Justi- 
nian he pronounced solemnly these words of Solo- 
mon : u Vanity, vanity, all is vanity !" Belisarius 



346 MODEKtf HISTORY. 

in 535 conquered the Gauls in Italy, and performed 
numerous other great achievements. 

From this time the bishop of Home became a 
great civil as well as ecclesiastical officer, and all 
parties united in trying to win him over to their 
cause. At this time the policy of the Roman 
pontiffs began to take the path it has never 
deserted since. Emissaries were sent into many 
lands to convert them into an acknowledgment of 
their subjection to Rome. 

Narses, who was the successor of Belisarius, 
was a believer in the decrees of the Council of 
Nice, and had the support of all the orthodox 
Huns, Lombards and Heruleans, and gained to his 
cause the majority of the Ostrogoths, whom he 
was sent to fight. The heretical Ostrogoths were 
expelled from the towns, defeated in several battles, 
and finally reduced to the number of 7,000 men, 
and in 553 they disappeared from history. 

Justinian erected the church of St. Sophia in 
Constantinople, which passes for one of the won- 
ders of the world, and is now converted into a 
Turkish mosque. He also employed able lawyers, 
the principal of which was Tribonius, a learned 
pagan, to make an abstract of the Roman laws in 
530, called the Digest or Pandect, and is made use 
of in the greater part of Europe. 

Notwithstanding the great services of Belisarius 
to his country, his enemies prejudiced the mind of 
Justinian against him, and he often disgraced and 
imprisoned him. He cleared himself at last of the 
charges against him, but died soon after. 

The Lombards, headed by their king, Alboin, 
took possession of all Italy, except Rome and 
Ravenna. Alboin had been refused the hand of 
Rosamond, the daughter of Cunimond, chief of 
the Gepides, therefore, he made war upon the 
tribe, slew Cunimond with his own hand, and, ao 



MODERN HISTORY. 347 

cording to the custom of his race, made his skull 
into a drinking-cup. He married Rosamond, and 
at one of the festivals of his triumphs, he forced 
her to drink from his favorite wine-goblet. 

Rosamond now promised her hand- and throne 
to Kilwich, one of her attendants, if he would kill 
her tyrant husband. To receive the reward thus 
promised, Kilwich slew Alboin, but was dis- 
covered and fled to Ravenna, where the Exarch 
held his court. Kilwich now married Rosamond, 
but counting on the prospect of marrying the 
Exarch, she poisoned Kilwich, who lived just long 
enough to stab her with his dagger. 

The Anglo-Saxons remained in possession of 
Britain, and had till this time been pagans ; but in 
596, Gregory, surnamed the Great, sent some 
monks thither, the chief of whom was St. Augus- 
tine, to preach the Christian religion, and converts 
were made, among whom was Bertha, the queen 
of Ethelbert, the king of Kent, 

In 564, Mohammed was born in Mecca, and being 
of a highly imaginative mincl, he used to retire 
to the desert and meditate and see visions of future 
glory. He was the servant of a rich widow, who 
saw and admired the aspirations of her servant, 
and oifered him her hand. He was now at leisure 
to perfect his schemes. 

Some knowledge of Christianity appears to have 
existed in England at this time, it having been 
introduced, according to some writers, about the 
time of the Apostles. But at no period could it 
be said that the country was Christian. The idol- 
atries of the Saxon and other tribes reigned through 
the country they conquered for one hundred and 
fifty years. The names of the gods worshipped 
were the sun, moon, Thuth, Odin, Thor, Frigga 
and Surtur, from which the English derived the 
name of the days of the week. 



348 MODERN HISTORY. 

A. I>. 600 to A. !>. TOO. 




SEVENTH CENTURY. 

This century is distinguished by the rise of Mahometism in 
Asia. Mahomet, the founder, offered the Koran containing his 
creed in one hand with a sword in the other to compel to its 
belief. His followers forced the fundamental creed, " TJiere is 
but one God, and Mahomet is his prophet" on the surrounding 
nations. To Boniface III. the title of Universal Bishop was 
given, and the church of Rome is declared the head of all others. 

In" the year 602, Thocas, a captain of the em- 
peror's band, induced the army to revolt, and 
beheaded the emperor, Maurice, after having mur- 
dered his two sons before his face. At each stroke 
Maurice repeated the pious ejaculation, "Lord 
thou art just and thy judgments are righteous." 
Two years before the time, a nation of Huns 
had taken some thousands of Roman soldiers pri- 



MODERN HISTORY. 349 

soners, and demanded a certain sum for their 
ransom, which Maurice being unwilling to pay, 
they were all put to death, at which Maurice was 
greatly afflicted, and implored the Almighty to 
punish him in this world rather than the next. 

Phocas rendered himself odious by his crimes 
and dissolute conduct, and in the year 611 several 
nobles seized him and carried him before Hera- 
clitus, whom they had proclaimed emperor, who 
commanded that his hands, feet and head should 
be cut off and the rest of his body burnt in the 
public square at Constantinople. 

In the reign of Heraclitus Mohammed began to 
preach his false religion. During the space of 
twenty-three years he had been writing the Koran, 
a book containing his tenets and a variety of absurd 
fables. It is the belief of his followers that it was 
brought from heaven by the angel Gabriel, who 
delivered it to Mohammed at different times, and 
they dare not touch it without being first purified, 
and an inscription is upon the cover " Let no one 
touch but those who are clean." 

His followers went throughout all nations, with 
a sword in one hand and the Koran in the other, 
crying " There is but one God, and Mohammed 
is his Prophet" In the year 622 he was driven 
from Mecca by his fellow citizens, and this event 
is called the Hegira, or flight of Mohammed, and 
his followers date their chronology from this time. 

After his death, his doctrines were propagated 
by his successors, called Caliphs, who were sover- 
eigns, both temporally and spiritually, and preached 
and prayed in the public mosques with a drawn 
sword in the right hand. The Saracens for seven 
years besieged Constantinople, and forced the 
emperor into an agreement to pay them an annual 
tribute, which was never performed, as the Saracen 
fleet was lost on its return. 

In th-j year 685, Justinian II. began to reign at 



350 MODERN HISTORY, 

the age of sixteen, and governed in such a cruel 
manner, and rendered himself so odious that he was 
banished and his nose cut off. About the year 
622, Dagobert, first king of France, made himself 
master of the greater part of the Netherlands, and 
founded a chapel in the ancient city of Utrecht, and 
in 690 Willibrod, an English monk, preached the 
gospel in those countries. 

The republic of Venice, which had been estab- 
lished about two centuries, was in danger from the 
ill government of its magistrates, who were called 
Tribunes. An assembly of the nation was held in 
Heraclea, and elected a Duke, or Doge, as the 
center of authority. Paul Lue Anafesta, was 
elected, and after this time the state acquired 
vigor, and rose to importance. 

In this century, conquest and war had ravaged 
the country and laid it waste. Agriculture was in 
a very low state, and famine and plagues were 
common in all parts of Europe. Trade was car- 
ried on, but under the exactions and even open 
robberies of the chieftains who had their fortress 
on the surrounding heights. The Benedictine 
monks, however, who had been established there, 
turned their attention to cultivating the soil. In 
this they raised labor, which had been considered 
as only for serfs and slaves, to the dignity of a 
holy duty ; and as their founder wrote to them, 
" No person is ever more usefully employed than 
when working with his hands providing for the 
use of man." 

Hitherto as slavery was universally practiced 
in those territories, the free Frank or Burgundian 
thought robbery, murder, or even any other crime 
less degrading than working in the field. Monas- 
taries also became the center of news and learning, 
and the only people for a long time who knew 
anything of foreign affairs were the monks. The 
pope had them under his protection, and wherever 



MODERN HISTORY. 351 

they went they held him up as the first of all 
earthly powers. 

The Franks considered the length and profusion 
of the hair as a mark of superiority in a chieftain, 
and a common soldier wore his hair long in front 
but closely trimmed behind. A tyrannical king, 
instead of killing his enemies, shaved their heads, 
and they thought that punishment more severe 
than death. 

The sons of Clotilda sent a messenger to her 
to know whether she would have her grandchild- 
ren slain or clipped, to which she replied, " If my 
grandchildren are never to mount the throne, I 
would rather have them dead than hairless." From 
this arose the custom of shaving the heads of 
ecclesiastics, in token that they were the servants, 
or serfs, of God. 

As early as 588, John, named the Faster of 
Constantinople, assumed the title of "Universal 
Bishop," and the title was confirmed by a council 
then in session in that city. The successor of John 
assumed the same title. Gregory the Great, cotem- 
poraneous with the successor of John, took offence 
at the boldness of the bishop of Constantinople 
in assuming a title which, in point of precedence, 
properly belonged to 'the bishop of Rome. 

Gregory died in the year 604, and was succeeded 
by Boniface III. This latter prelate had no 
scruples in accepting the title, but rather sought 
it from the Emperor Phocas, with the privilege 
of transmitting it to his successors. The profligate 
emperor, to gratify the ambition of this court 
sycophant, deprived the bishop of Constantinople of 
the title and conferred it on Boniface, at the same 
time declaring that the church of Home to be the 
head of all others. 



352 MODERN HISTORY. 

A. D. 700 to A. I>. §00. 




EIGHTH CENTURY. 

This century is distinguished by the prevalence of Mohammed- 
anism. The Saracens, or Mohammedans, having overrun Asia, 
conquered the Northern tribes of Africa, and trampled upon 
Christianity. Tliey extended their conquests into Spain. 
Charlemagne of France subdues and compels several nations to 
embrace Christianity. Irene, empress of the East, establishes 
image worship. 

In the year 712, Mohammed's successors, the 
Arabs, seized upon the whole coast of Africa, land- 
ed a large army in Spain, and became sole masters 
of that kingdom. They, however, granted the 
Christians the privilege of retaining their religion, 
and a few of the Goths escaped to the mountains 



MODEEN HISTORY. 353 

of Asturia and Biscay, to preserve their religious 
faith and kingdom. 

The worship of images was very prevalent 
throughout the East, and the emperor Leo caused 
them to he taken out of the churches, and forbade 
the use of them, whereupon Gregory II., Pope of 
Rome, forbade the people to pay the emperor any 
tribute, or to acknowledge him, and thereby caused 
a great part of Italy to revolt. The orders of 
monks exerted themselves to extend the power of 
the Pope ; obedience to him, in their eyes, was piety 
and opposition, impiety. The Emperor of Con- 
stantinople looked on him as his representative in 
all affairs of the church. 

After the death of Leo, his son Constantine call- 
ed together a council of 388 bishops, who declared 
the worship of images contrary to the scriptures. 
This took place A. D. 744, and in 787, the empress 
Irene, who reigned during the youth of the son of 
Constantine, assembled a council of 280 bishops at 
Nice, and here the council held by Constantine was 
condemned, and the worship of idols established. 
After this, the tyrannical Irene attempted to exer- 
cise too much authority over her son Constantine, 
and in 797 she caused his eyes to be put out, and 
he died in five days. 

Charlemagne, who was one of the greatest mon- 
archs that ever reigned in the empire of the west, 
ascended the throne in 768. He defeated Dedin, 
king of the Lombards, and carried him prisoner to 
France, subdued the Saxons, whose king, Witti- 
kind, he compelled to adopt Christianity ; and hav- 
ing conquered the Frise, he permitted them to re- 
tain the title of a free people, on condition of their 
embracing Christianity. In the year 732, the Sa- 
racens seemed about to extend their power still 
farther into Europe, when Charles Martel, the 
mayor of Paris, put himself at the head of the 
military forces and drove back the Mohammedans. 



354 MODERN HISTORY. 

The descendants of Clovis, who at this time were 
the nominal monarchs of France, had sadly degen- 
erated, and usually died before the age of thirty. 
The office of mayor had been hereditary, but the 
achievements of Charles Martel gave him the au- 
thority of king. His final defeat of the Saracens, 
between Tunis and Poitiers, in a single day, occa- 
sioned them the loss of 370,000 men, and put an 
effectual stop to their progress in Europe. 

The Saracens, from the northern shores of Afri- 
ca, were the most zealous propagators of the Mo- 
hammedan faith, and in the early part of this cen- 
tury, crossed over to Spain in great numbers and 
subjugated the country. Incredible accounts are 
given of the number, activity and prowess of these 
horsemen from the desert. Passing from Spain, 
they began their incursions into France. The pow- 
erful Duke of Aquitaine fled before their advanc- 
ing armies. The whole country was filled with ter- 
ror and alarm, prayer was offered in all the church- 
es, and the towns were in expectation of seeing the 
irresistible horsemen before their walls. 

At this eventful crisis, when Christianity and 
Mohammedanism stood face to face, for the first 
time, Charles Martel put himself at the head of the 
military forces of the land to resist the infidel 
invader. The ascendency of the two faiths, accord- 
ing to all human appearance, now rested on the 
prowess of their respective champions. If Charles, 
with his Franks and Germans, were defeated, there 
would seem to be nothing to resist the over-run- 
ning of the whole Christian world by the infi- 
dels. On the result of this day, on the plain of 
Tours, seemed to depend the improvement and civil 
freedom of the human race. Few particulars of 
the conflict are preserved, but the result proved 
the superiority of the Christian force over that of 
the Mohammedan race. 



MODERN HISTORY. 355 

A. D. 800 to A. B. 900 




NINTH CENTURY. 

In A. J). 800, the first year of the ninth eenturv, Charle- 
magne was crowned at Rome by the Pope, Emperor of the West 
His empire comprised the most of the principal eonntries of 
Europe. The Normans, who were of Gothic origin, were driv- 
en by Charlemagne into Denmark, hence they were called 
Banes. They were noted for their piratical incursions, partic- 
ularly into England, of which, at Units, they held possession. 
Near the close of the century, Alfred the Great conquered the 
Danes, eucouraged learning, composed a code of laws, and was 
the glory of his age and country. 

In the first year of this century, Charlemagne 
was crowned Emperor of the West by Pope Leo 
III, with ceremonies of great pomp and magnifi- 
cence. His empire comprised most of the princi- 
pal countries of Europe, and his subjects were still 



356 MODERN HISTORY. 

pressing their way among the barbarous Saxons. 
Charlemagne himself was interested in literature 
and the arts, and founded academies for education 
and for cultivating useful arts. He also gave the 
names to the months and winds. 

Irene, former empress, on account of her crimes, 
was banished to the Isle of Lesbos, where she died 
in great misery. At the the age of seventy-one, 
Charlemagne died at Aix-la-Chapelle, in the year 
814, leaving the empire to his son Lewis, surnamed 
Debonnaire, who, though possessed of amiable 
qualities and a good heart, was unfitted for the 
cares of such empire. At this period the power 
of the local bishops decreased, while that of the 
Pope continued to increase, and the church divided 
into the Greek and Latin churches, and the empe- 
rors were divested of their ecclesiastical authority. 

Feudalism flourished, and it seemed to be a ne- 
cessity of those times, for it was seen that the pos- 
session of great lands involved the duty of defence. 
The bishop or priest, to protect his own lauds, 
would exchange his ecclesiastical vestures for a 
soldier's costume, and the people saw and felt the 
inappropriateness of such changes. The barons 
or lords erected strong fortresses on almost inac- 
cessible places, oppressed their vassals, and would 
almost set the authority of the king at defiance. 
While the feudal system was at its height, about 
one thousand castles had been built in the southern 
part of Britain. 

About the year 839 the Danes invaded England, 
ravaged London, and burnt Winchester, and soon 
after took Nottingham. In most of the English 
towns of which they had taken possession, they es- 
tablished themselves and Danish customs, laws and 
language. This continued till Alfred the Great 
drove them back and finally defeated them. 

At one time he disguised himself as a harper and 
entered the camp of the Danish prince and re- 



MODERN HISTORY. 357 

mained with him some days till he obtained a per- 
fect knowledge of their unguarded state, and hav- 
ing returned to his own forces, he led on a large 
army and gained a complete victory. 

Alfred was a patron of literature and the arts, 
and in 896 founded the University of Oxford. He 
also composed a code of laws, divided England into 
counties, and translated a number of works into 
the Saxon language. 

Previous to this time, the clergy, as well the com- 
mon people, were so ignorant that many of the bish- 
ops and priests were unable to write their own 
names. 

Alfred was one of the greatest and best sover- 
eigns that ever sat on a throne. The institutions 
which he founded are to this day the glory of the 
British nation. He was equally excellent in his 
private and public character, and was distinguished 
for his personal accomplishments, both of body and 
mind, and is considered the greatest legislator, 
scholar and warrior in which he lived. After hav- 
ing restored tranquillity to his distracted kingdom, 
he employed himself in cultivating the arts of peace, 
and in raising his people from the depths of igno- 
rance, barbarism, and wretchedness. He invited 
learned men from every quarter of Europe to reside 
in his dominions, established schools, &c. 

This prince was also the encourager of the me- 
chanical arts. He invited industrious foreigners to 
re-people his country, which had been desolated by 
the Danes. He introduced and encouraged manu- 
factures : he prompted men of activity to engage in 
navigation and commerce, he appropriated a sev- 
enth part of his own revenue to rebuild ruined ci- 
ties, castles, monasteries, &c. Such was his saga- 
city and virtue, that he was regarded as one of the 
greatest princes that ever appeared. 



358 MODERN HISTORY. 

A. D. 900 to .....A. I>. 1000. 




TENTH CENTURY. 

Such was the ignorance, superstition and profligacy of all 
classes at this period, that the tenth, and some of the succeeding 
centuries, have been termed the " Dark Ages." Pure Christi- 
anity was covered up with numerous forms, and useless cere- 
monies — the relics of saints were held in the greatest veneration. 
Controversies between the Greek and Latin Churches. The 
Saracens extend their conquests in Europe. 

The tenth century is remarkable for having been 
the darkest period in modern history, so much that 
it has been styled, with some of the succeeding 
epochs, "The Dark Ages." Religion itself was 
so connected with idolatry and superstition that 
scarcely a trace of pure Christianity remained. 



MODERN HISTORY. 359 

The Scriptures had fallen into general disuse, and 
in their stead, great quantities of relics were dis- 
tributed, and made the objects of veneration. Even 
the pontiffs and clergy were given up to every 
species of profligacy, and often the respect felt for 
the prelates was so little, that a layman would 
sometimes knock them down, while engaged in the 
solemnities of worship. Still they had numerous 
processions in honor of the saints, and held in rev- 
erence the monasteries where the learning and piety 
of the age was centered, and their altars were 
covered with the offerings of the faithful. 

" The history of the Roman Pontiffs that lived 
in this century," says Mosheim, " exhibits a series 
of the most flagitious, tremendous and complicated 
crimes, as all writers, even those of the Roman 
community, unanimously confess." 

The state of learning at this time was as much 
corrupted and obscured as religion. The little that 
existed was chiefly employed about the life and 
miracles of the saints, and other objects of no utility. 
Such was the passsion for relics, that the bodies of 
the apostles and first martyrs, are said to have 
been dug up, and great quantities of bones and 
other relics were brought into Europe, and sold for 
enormous prices. Numerous impositions were prac- 
tised in this traffic ; and purchasers seemed not to 
have been very nice or scrupulous in their inquiries, 
and many a devotee has wept over the bones of a 
dog, or jackall, supposing he had before him the 
relic of an apostle. These relics were supposed 
to have the power of healing diseases, working mi- 
racles, &c, and so eager were some of the churches 
to obtain these precious treasures, that they would 
sometimes possess themselves of them by violence 
or theft; and these attempts, when successful, were 
considered as pious and acceptable to the Supreme 
Being. 

The Roman pontiffs at this time were celebrated 



360 MODERN HISTORY. 

for their cruelty, superstition, and profligacy, and 
nothing was considered of importance, but adher- 
ence to senseless forms and ceremonies, and the 
discovery of holy relics. 

Hollo, the son of a Norwegian count, took pos- 
session of Rouen, in France, sent forth his armies, 
and seized every place in the vicinity, and settled 
Norman colonies there about the year A. D. 912. 
Rollo was raised to the highest command, and be- 
came chief, and the fear of his laws was such, that 
he is said to have hung a bracelet of gold in an ex- 
posed situation, and no one dared to take it. When 
he went through the ceremony of giving his obe- 
dience to his sovereign, instead of kneeling, he 
stood erect at his full height, and when one of the 
courtiers, upon kissing the toe of his superior, Rollo 
made a sign to one of his attendants to go through 
the form instead of himself. 

Feudalism in this century was fairly established, 
and, by degrees, the offices which had been grant- 
ed to a subject, were regarded as belonging to his 
posterity. The people were generally under the 
control of the clergy, though the laboring serfs 
were almost as well educated as their superiors in 
power. The monarchs of France were hitherto so 
little feared and respected, that their subjects added 
to them the significant names, " The Fat," " The 
Stammerer," and " The Fool." 

In the year 986, the French elected Hugh Capet, 
chief of the feudal nobles, to the throne. — Otho the 
Great, emperor of Germany, extended the Christian 
religion throughout the empire. — The Russians 
were converted to Christianity in 924, by the 
Greeks of Constantinople. England was subjected 
to many invasions from the Northmen, and the 
Saracens ravaged the northern parts of Italy. 



MODERN HISTORY. 361 

A. ». 1000 to A, I>. 1100. 




ELEVENTH CENTURY. 

William, Dulce of Normandy, in France, with 60,000 men, 
landed in England, and at the battle of Hastings defeated the 
English. Harold, their Icing, was slain, and his kingdom di- 
vided among the Normans. This great event, called the Nor- 
man Conquest, effected great changes. The lands were surveyed, 
apportioned, and recorded in Doomsday Book, and great im- 
provements introduced. In 1094, the Crusaders, led on by Peter 
the Hermit, took Jerusalem from the Turks. 

In the beginning of this period there were 1108 
monasteries in France, and the erection of them was 
progressing in all parts of Europe, and many are 
still standing, for they were built with great 
strength, to form a military defence. 
31 



362 MODERN HISTORY. 

William, of Normandy, was the founder of more 
abbeys and convents than any other man. He 
came from France with 60,000 men and made war 
upon Harold in the year 1066, to assert his rights 
to the English throne. The night before the battle, 
which was to decide their fate, Harold spent the 
time with his followers in dancing a revelry, but 
William occupied himself in prayer, and the next 
day won the field, and since that time has been 
called William the Conqueror. This great event 
was called the Norman Conquest, and produced 
great changes. Lands were surveyed and divided, 
and their ownership attested in the "Doomsday 
Book," which is still preserved. 

At this period 'the popes took into their own 
hands the disposition of empires and kingdoms, 
and Gregory VII, who occupied the papal chair 
in 1073, attempted to deprive the emperor Henry 
IV of the right of putting the clergy into possession 
of their dignities. Not finding Henry as obedient 
as he expected, Gregory excommunicated him, and 
incited Rodolphus, Duke of Suabia, to take up 
arms against him, but unsuccessfully, for Rodolphus 
was defeated, lost his hand, and died soon after. 
Before his death, he said to some of the bishops, 
pointing to his severed hand, " There is the hand 
with which I swore fidelity to the emperor, consider 
it, and see where your evil councils have led. me.'' 

On one occasion, Gregory forced Henry to re- 
main at the door of his castle, three days and three 
nights, barefoot, and in the cold of winter, before 
he would allow him to enter. Gregory also for- 
bade the marriage of the clergy, and gave orders 
for every married priest to be separated from his 
wife. When he excommunicated Henry, the Ro- 
man people felt indignant, except the Countess 
Matilda, who held the greatest provinces in Italy. 
Twice she separated herself from her husband, to 
devote herself to the interests of the Pope. 



MODERN HISTORY 363 

In 1095, the first crusade, or holy war, by the 
Christians against the Mohammedans was begun, 
under the leadership of Peter the Hermit, a native 
of France, for the recovery of the Holy Land. 

Peter, assisted by Pope Urban, addressed the 
assembled crowds : the horrors and indignities of 
the infidel oppressions, the duty of arming in the 
holy cause, and the reward of those who were slain 
in fighting the battles of the Lord, were set forth 
with such effect, that they all, as one man, sent 
forth the shout, "It is the will of God! It is the 
will of God /" Persons of all ranks now flew to 
arms with the utmost ardor. Eternal salvation was 
promised to all who should come forth to the help 
of the Lord in this holy warfare. All men now 
deemed the crusades the road to heaven, and were 
impatient to open the way with their swords to the 
holy city. 

Peter, with an army of 80,000 recruits, marched 
towards the east, followed with a mixed multitude 
of 200,000 persons, more like banditti than soldiers. 
The outrages they committed on their march were 
such that they were almost wholly destroyed by 
the inhabitants. After the march of Peter, a very 
formidable body of disciplined troops were led on 
by Godfrey. The army of the crusaders, by the 
sword, famine and pestilence, was reduced to about 
60,000 men when they arrived at Jerusalem. They, 
however, made the most incredible exertions to 
obtain possession of the city, and after a siege 
of forty days, took it by storm. The whole of its 
Mohammedan and Jewish inhabitants were put to 
death. The crusaders were guilty of the most 
shocking barbarities — the inhabitants were massa- 
cred without mercy. 

In the year 1080, the Tower of London was built, 
and in 1097 Newcastle-upon-Tyne. In this century, 
Justices of the Peace were first appointed in Eng- 
land, and the office of Cardinal instituted in Rome. 



i 



864 MODERN HISTORY. 

A, ». 1100 to A. I>. 1200. 




TWELFTH CENTURY. 

In the beginning of the Twelfth Century, in 1110, the order 
of Knight Templars was instituted to defend the sepulchre at 
Jerusalem and to protect Christian strangers. The second and 
third crusades to the Holy Land. In 118*7, Saladin, a sultan 
of Egypt, took Jerusalem, after it had been in possession of the 
Christians about ninety years. 

The Christians retained possession of Jerusalem 
for 88 years, but as it was in continual clanger from 
the Greeks the order of Knights Templars was in- 
stituted, to protect the Holy Sepulchre, and also 
Christian strangers. The honor of Knighthood 
was conferred at the age of 21, and required a 
great amount of preparation, by fasting, prayer, 
confessing their sins, receiving the sacrament. &c. 



MODERN HISTORY. 365 

The candidate took an oath, in which he swore 
to be always good, brave, loyal, and just, in fight- 
ing for the church, protecting the ladies, and aveng- 
ing the wrongs of widows and orphans. Although 
chivalry in some respects was absurd, yet it had a 
powerful influence in changing the manners of so- 
ciety, suppressing feudalism, and by thinning the 
ranks of robbers and ruffians, it added to the safety 
and order of society. 

The orders of chivalry, or knighthood, were of 
two general descriptions, viz. : religious and mili- 
tary. Some of the religious orders were those of 
Templars, St. James, the Lady of Meacy, and St. 
Michael, In the religious orders, the cavaliers, or 
knights, were bound by the three great monastic 
vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. The 
military orders were imitations of the religious. A 
nice sense of honor was cherished by its maxims. 
But perhaps the most important effect of the insti- 
tution was the delicate and respectful attention paid 
to women, whereby they were delivered from the 
degradation so common in savage and barbarous 
nations. 

After the first crusade, there had been another 
composed of 90,000 boys, called the Crusade of the 
Children, but the whole band disappeared before 
they reached the holy city, many of them dying 
on their journey, and the rest seized and sold as 
slaves. Some of the possessors of the city gave 
themselves such titles as the following : " Marquis 
of Tyre,'' "Baron of Sidon," and " Prince of Gali- 
lee." The second crusade was led on by St. Bernard, 
in 1147, and headed also by the emperor Conrad, 
and Lewis, king of France. 

In the year 1187 Jerusalem was re-taken by Sa- 
ladin, nephew of the Turkish Sultan, which oc- 
casioned a third crusade, under the command of 
Richard the Lion-heart, who defeated Saladin, near 
Ascalon, but finding his army wasting away, made 



366 MODEEN HISTOEY. 

a truce with Saladin, whereby the Christian pil- 
grims were allowed free access to Jerusalem. 

At this period the demand for relics increased, 
bones of the saints, and a single hair of an apostle's 
head, brought an incredible sum. The principal 
amusements of the common people, were gorgeous 
processions, &c. The doctrine of the Immaculate 
Conception was first propagated in the twelfth, 
though it was not fully established till the nine- 
teenth century, and the sale of indulgences was also 
begun by the bishops. 

About the year 1160, the Albigenses, in conse- 
quence of holding heretical doctrines, were perse- 
cuted for some length of time. Peter Abelard, one 
of the most learned doctors, flourished in this cen- 
tury, and is distinguished not only for his eloquence 
and erudition, but for his letters to Helosie, which 
are still read. Richard Cceur de Lion, on his re- 
turn from Palestine, was captured by Leopold, 
Duke of Austria, who held him prisoner till an im- 
mense sum was paid for his ransom in 1194. 

Henry II, one of the most powerful monarchs of 
Europe, endeavored to reform some of the abuses 
of the clergy, as they had become very corrupt in 
their morals, but he was violently opposed by 
Thomas a Becket, an Archbishop of his court. 
Some of his knights, thinking to serve the king, 
assassinated a Becket, before the altar of the cathe- 
dral. Henry, to avert the resentment of the pope, 
did penance at the tomb of Becket, and even 
bared his shoulders to be scourged. Becket was 
declared a saint by the pope, and miracles were 
said to be performed at his tomb. 



MODERN HISTORY. 367 

A. D. 1200 to A. »• 1300, 




THIRTEENTH CENTURY. 

The formidable tribunal of the Inquisition was established 
by Pope Innocent III. in 1204, for the examination and pun- 
ishment of heretics. 1215, Magna Charta t the bulwark of 
English liberty, signed by King John. 1858, Bagdat taken by 
the Tartars, end of the Saracen Empire. 1291, end of the. 
Crusades. 1299, Ottoman the first sultan of the Turks. 

Tn the year 1204, a fearful tribunal was formed, 
called the Inquisition, to punish all those who dif- 
fered from the doctrines of the Roman church. It 
was established by Pope Innocent, on account of 
the increase of the Waldenses, a people who were 
followers of Peter Waldo, a pious man, who endeav- 
ored to instruct the multitudes in the principles of 
religion. 



368 MODERN HISTOET. 

In the year 1215, the Pope held a council, who 
issued the doctrine of Transubstantiation as an ar- 
ticle of faith. Two orders of begging friars were 
also founded, called the Franciscans and Domini- 
cans. In 1207 the Pope ordered a crusade against 
the Albigenses, on account of their heresies, with 
instructions to put every one of them to death. 
The soldiers being in doubt as to who were here- 
tics, an abbot told them to " slay them all, for the 
Lord would know his own." 

About this time auricular confession was intro- 
duced into the Romish church. At this period 
there arose a sect of mystical reasoners who 
dreamed of human nature itself as a part of deity, 
and others believed that the soul was created by 
the good spirit, and the body by the bad, and that 
it was necessary to keep the latter in subjection by 
fasting and penance. From this arose the system 
of flagellation, which was practiced in many mon- 
asteries. 

The ]3ersecution against the Albigenses was con- 
ducted by Simon de Moulfort, a man notorious for 
cruelty and wickedness. Upwards of two hundred 
thousand persons were massacred at this time. 
Count Raymond, of Thoulouse, prince of the 
Albigenses, was commissioned by the Pope to ex- 
terminate the heretics, but he was convinced of the 
truth of their doctrines, and was excommunicated 
and deprived of a great portion of his estates. 

In the early part of this century, the Tartars, 
subjects of Genglskhan, made their incursions into 
Europe. Having conquered a great part of Asia, 
they subdued Russia, Hungary, and other coun- 
tries, till the death of Gengiskhan, which occurred 
in 1226. 

In the year 1215, John, King of England, hav- 
ing made the Pope his enemy by appropriating to 
himself some of the treasures of the church, was 
excommunicated and brought into submission. His 



MODERN HISTORY. 369 

barons assembled and demanded a ratification of 
the privileges granted by Henry I. John at first 
refused, but was compelled by the sword to sign 
the Magna Charta, which is considered the great 
foundation of English liberty. 

This charter, among other things, specified that 
no money or aid was to be drawn from the people 
without the consent of the council of the nation, 
and that no person should be convicted except by 
the laws of the land, and the judgment of persons 
of the same rank with himself, aud no fine could be 
imposed so great as to ruin the offender. The 
church was freed from the exactions of the king, 
and every person had a right to dispose of his 
property by will, and various other specifications, 
which insured to the people the enjoyment of their 
property and liberty. 

In 1243, Louis IXthmade a crusade to the Holy 
Land, where he was taken prisoner, and only by 
the payment of an enormous sum was set free. 
After this he rebuilt the fortifications of Sidon, Jaf- 
fa, and Ptolemais, and died at Tunis in the year 
1270, where he had gone on an expedition against 
the Mohammedans. 

These barbarous expeditions agitated, convulsed 
and distressed every family in Europe for two hun- 
dred years. It is computed that during the time of 
the crusades more than two millions of Europeans 
were buried in the East ; and those that survived 
were soon incorporated with the Mohammedan 
population in Syria, and in a few years no traces of 
the conquests remained. 



370 MODERN HISTORY. 

A. D. 1300 to A. D, 1400, 




FOURTEENTH CENTURY. 

The mariner's compass is said to have been discovered at Na- 
ples in 1302. Gunpowder, which has changed the system of 
warfare, is supposed to have been invented in 1340, by Swartz, 
a monk of Cologne. In 1352 the Turks first entered Europe. 
John WiclcUffe, an Englishman, appealing to the Bible, oppo- 
ses the errors of the times. Tamerlane, a Tartar prince, hav- 
ing conquered in the East, turns his arms westward. 

Ix the first year of this century, Pope Boniface 
made a jubilee at Rome, and promised to all his 
visitors remission of their sins and other spiritual 
benefits. He was a detestable character, and ap- 
peared in the processions dressed in the imperial 
robes, while a herald went before him crying, 
" Peter ! behold thy successor ! Christ ! behold thy 



MODERN HISTORY. 371 

vicar upon earth!" He excommunicated Philip 
the Fair, who sent his troops and took him prison- 
er, when he died of rage and despair in the year 
1303. The historians say that "Boniface entered 
upon the pontificate like a fox, reigned like a lion, 
and perished like a dog." 

The tyrannical conduct of the emperor of Ger- 
many was the occasion of the establishment of the 
Swiss republic in 1307. The governor of the Swiss, 
Gesler, placed his hat upon a pole and ordered the 
people to bow in homage to it and to himself. Wil- 
liam Tell, a celebrated archer, refused, and, as a 
punishment, was ordered to shoot an apple from 
the head of his son, or be dragged to death. Tell 
shot the apple from the head of the child without 
injuring the boy, bnt Gesler perceiving another ar- 
row under his cloak, asked him what that was for ? 
to which Tell replied, " To kill you, tyrant, had I 
slain my child !" 

The people then flew to arms, and, after sixty 
battles, the liberty of the Swiss was established. 

John 'Wicldiffe was born in 1324, and was profes- 
sor of divinity at Oxford for many years. England 
was at this time completely under the dominion of 
the papal power; the country, at this period, 
swarmed with monks of the Mendicant order, and 
the clergy were generally corrupt, proud and indo- 
lent. This state of things aroused the spirit of 
Wickliffe, who commenced writing against the 
monks, and the tyranny of the Pope and the bish- 
ops. He declared that the gospel was a sufficient 
rule of life without any other, and that if a man 
was truly penitent before God, he need not confess 
his sins to the priest. He also asserted that the 
Bible ought not to be kept exclusively in a language 
the common people could not understand. He ac- 
cordingly translated the whole Bible into the Eng- 
lish language for their use. For these proceedings 
he was seized as a heretic, but owing to his popu- 



372 MODERN HISTOET. 

larity with the nobles and people, he was suffered 
to die in peace, A. D. 1385. The malice of his en- 
emies was so great, that forty years after his death 
his bones were burnt and the ashes thrown into 
the river. His doctrines, however, were not de- 
stroyed ; they prevailed, more or less, till they 
were firmly established in Europe by the Reforma- 
tion of Martin Luther, for which Wickliffe, in a 
degree, had prepared the way, and from this cir- 
cumstance he is called " the morning star of the 
Reformation." 

The Turks appear to have first entered Europe 
in 1352. Their establishment as a separate people 
or empire commenced about the commencement of 
this century. Their prince, or calif, fixed his seat 
of government at Byrsa, in Asia Minor, and as- 
sumed the title of Sultan. From this time they 
were known as the Ottoman race, or sovereignty. 
Being near Constantinople, they gradually en- 
croached upon the Greek Empire till it fell into 
their possession. 

About the year 1380, Tamerlane, the great war- 
rior, began to figure in the world's history. He 
was a prince of the Usbeck Tartars, and a descend- 
ant of Qengishhan. 

Having conquered Persia, and most of the East, 
he turned his arms westward. At this period, Ba- 
jazet, one of the successors of Ottoman, was besieg- 
ing Constantinople : the Greek emperor implored 
the assistance of Tamerlane against his enemy. 
Tamerlane gladly accepted the invitation, and sent 
a message to Bajazet, commmanding him to aban- 
don the siege, and restore the prisoners he had 
taken. This message roused his indignation : he 
left the siege and marched against this new enemy, 
but was defeated by Tamerlane, after a dreadful 
battle, which lasted three days, in which it is said 
that nearly a million men were engaged, and 300,- 
000 slain. The victorious career of the Turks was 



MODERN HISORY. 373 

suspended by this event. Bajazet was taken pris- 
oner, and, it is said, was shut up in an iron cage by 
his conqueror, and carried about to grace his tri- 
umphs. Tamerlane made Samarcajid the seat of 
his empire, and there received the homage of all 
the princes of the East. For a while this place 
was the seat of learning and the arts ; but after the 
death of Tamerlane, it relapsed into its former bar- 
barism. 

The invention, about this period, of the mart- 
inets compass, that of gunpowder, and especially 
the art of printing, gave a new direction to the af- 
fairs of men, and will continue to affect the desti- 
nies of future ages. The mariner's compass is said 
to have been invented about the year 1300, by Gi- 
oia, a mathematician, at Naples. It did not, how- 
ever, come into general use till the year 1400. The 
Chinese lay claim to the honor of this, as well as 
several other discoveries and inventions ; but not 
much reliance can be placed on their statements. 
Before this discovery, mariners scarcely ever ven- 
tured out of sight of land. 

The invention of gunpowder has done much to- 
wards softening the ferocious cruelties and dimi- 
nishing the chances of war. In ancient times, a 
man whose brute force was superior to those around 
him, had the advantage over those of a weaker 
frame ; but by this invention a comparatively weak 
man is placed upon an equal footing. Roger Bacon, 
a learned English friar, or monk, who died at Ox- 
ford, 1292, understood the secret of the composi- 
tion of gunpowder, and it is said that he was the 
inventor. Its application to warlike purposes is 
said to have been first suggested by Swartz, a monk 
of Cologne, about the year 1330. Sixteen years 
afterwards, Edward III, of England, at the battle 
of Cressy, used four pieces of artillery. 



32 



374 



MODERN HISTOET 



A. D. 1400 to A. ». 1500. 




FIFTEENTH CENTURY. 

The two great events in this century were the discovery of 
the art of printing and the discovery of America by Columbus. 
John Hess and Jerome of Prague were burnt for heresy, about 
1415. In 1453, Constantinople was taken by the Turks; 
Constantine, the last emperor of the East, was slain; the 
Christian churches were converted into mosques, and the 
Eastern Roman empire was extinguished, after having existed 
eleven hundred years. 

In the year 1414 the Council of Constance was 
convened, the object of which was to put an end 
to the Papal schism, which had existed nearly forty 
years. This was caused by the election of two 
popes, one at Rome and another at Avignon. From 
that time to the beginning of this century the 



MODERN HISTORY. 375 

church continued to have two, and sometimes three 
different heads at the same time; each forming 
plots, and proclaiming anathemas against each 
other. 

The Council of Constance consisted of several 
European princes or their deputies, with Sigismund, 
Emperor of Germany, at their head ; 20 arch- 
bishops; 150 bishops; 150 other dignitaries, and 
above 200 doctors, with the pope at their head. 
The three individuals who claimed the papal chair 
were deposed, and one Martin was ordained as the 
true head of the church. 

At this council, John Huss and Jerome of Pra- 
gue, his intimate companion, were cited to appear 
to answer for their heresies in exposing the cor- 
ruptions of the church. In obedience to the order, 
Huss made his appearance at Constance. The 
emperor had given him a passport, with assurance 
of safe conduct, permitting him freely to the 
council, and pledging himself for his safe return. 

No sooner had Huss arrived within the pope's 
jurisdiction, than, regardless of the emperor's 
passport, he was arrested and committed a close 
prisoner to a chamber in the palace. This viola- 
tion of law and justice was protested against by 
the friends of Huss, who had, out of respect they 
bore to his character, accompanied him to Con- 
stance. They urged the imperial promise of a safe 
conduct, but the pope replied that he was not 
bound by any promise of the emperor. 

Jerome of Prague having arrived at Constance, 
learning the treatment of Huss, retired to Iberlin- 
gen, an imperial city, and not obtaining a safe 
conduct from the emperor, was, while preparing 
to return to Bohemia, arrested and conveyed to 
Constance. Both himself and Huss were con- 
demned to be burnt alive, Huss in July, 1415, and 
Jerome in May, 1416, the next year. 

The news of these barbarous executions quickly 



376 MODERN HISTORY. 

reached Bohemia, where it threw the whole king- 
dom into confusion, and a civil war was kindled 
from the ashes of the martyrs. 

The leader of the avengers of these martyrs, and 
the advocate of reform, was John Ziska, a man of 
noble family, brought up at court, and in high 
reputation for wisdom, courage, the love of his 
country, and the fear of God. To him multitudes 
daily resorted from all parts, until their number 
was 40,000. With these he encamped on a rocky 
mountain about ten miles from Prague, which he 
called Mount Tabor, whence his followers were 
called Taborites. Until his death, in 1424, he 
continued boldly to defend his cause — declared 
war against Sigismund, and in several battles 
defeated the armies of that emperor. 

At this time, the churches and religious houses 
in Bohemia, were more numerous, more spacious, 
more elegant and sumptuous than in any other part 
of Europe ; and the images in public places, and 
the garments of the priests were covered with 
jewels and precious stones. Ziska commenced his 
work of reform by attacking these. He demolished 
the images, discharged the monks, who, he said, 
were only fattening like swine in sties, converted 
cloisters into barracks, conquered several towns 
and garrisoned Cuthna, defeated the armies of the 
emperor in several battles, and gave law to the 
kingdom of Bohemia, till the time of his death. 

When Ziska found himself dying, he gave orders 
that a drum should be made of his shin, and what 
is equally extraordinary, his orders were faithfully 
obeyed. Ziska' s skin, after undergoing the neces- 
sary preparations, was converted into a drum, 
which was long the symbol of victory to his fol- 
lowers. 

After the death of Ziska, his followers "Were 
divided into Calixtines, Taborites, and other sects, 
among whom considerable hostility appears to 



MODERN HISTOEY. 377 

have existed. In times of distress, however, they 
all united against the common enemy. At length, 
in 1443, the papal party yielded, and granted to 
these sects, the use of the cup in the sacrament, 
which the Council of Constance had denied them, 
and which was one cause of their assuming arms 
under Ziska. 

This century is distinguished for the discovery 
of the art of printing, in 1440. Formerly all books 
were made by the toilsome process of copying off, 
and a king's library was considered wonderful 
when it consisted of six or seven hundred volumes. 
Not one man in five hundred could read, for the 
current hand would be indistinct, but after the art 
of printing was discovered, almost every one could 
read who was anxious to acquire information. 

About this period the English and Burgundian 
party proclaimed as king of France the infant son 
of Henry V, and the partisans of Charles VII 
endeavored to place him upon the throne, but the 
English would have defeated him, being the most 
powerful, had not Joan of Arc offered her services 
to Charles. She was a dreamy and enthusiastic 
believer in all the legends and miracles of saints, 
of which that period and country were full, and 
believed herself called and inspired of God to come 
to the help of the failing king. She was clothed 
in white armor, riding upon a war-horse, carrying 
the royal banner of France in her hand, and pre- 
ceding the army on its way to Orleans. By her 
heroism Charles was successful, but the English 
having taken her prisoner, caused her to be burned 
alive for a witch. She suffered death at Rouen in 
1431. 

In 1492, Christopher Columbus, a native of 
Genoa, firm in the idea that there must be an 
undiscovered tract of land in the west, sailed from 
Palos, in Spain, and after two or three weeks sail- 
ing, his crew became disheartened, and he promised 



378 MODERN HISTORY. 

them he would return in three days if he was 
unsuccessful. At the end of the third day, land 
was discovered, and the crew instantly broke forth 
in singing the Te Teicm, and threw themselves at 
the feet of Columbus in reverence. He had touched 
at an island of the Bahamas, San Salvador, and 
henceforth America was connected with the Old 
"World. When he returned to Palos, the bells 
were rung in his honor, and cannon fired, and he 
was welcomed with acclamations of reverence and 
delight. 

The discoveries of Columbus produced a great 
excitement in Spam and other countries. Ships were 
fitted out for the purpose of making discoveries, 
obtaining wealth and honors. Among the adven- 
turers was Ojeda, an officer who accompanied 
Columbus in his first expedition. He was accom- 
panied by Americus Vespucius, who published an 
account of the voyage, in which he made it appear 
that he was the first discoverer of the continent. 
In honor of the supposed discoverer the name 
America was given to the new continent. 

After the death of Tamerlane, the Turks endea- 
vored to take Constantinople, which had become 
enfeebled by the indolence of the inhabitants. The 
city was assailed on every point by sea and land, 
and taken and ravaged, and the emperor put 
to death. Every enormity was committed, the 
churches converted in mosques, and by this event, 
which took place in 1453, the eastern Roman em- 
pire was extinguished, having existed more than 
1100 years. 



MODERN HISTORY. 379 

A. D. 1500 to A. D. 1600. 




SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 



About 151 7, Martin Luther began the Reformation in 
Germany, and translated the Bible into the common language 
of the people. /» 1535, Ignatius Loyala, a Spanish knight, 
instituted the order of Jesuits, or Society of Jestis. In Queen 
Mary's reign, Ridley, Bishop of London, and Latimer, Bishop 
of Worcester, being protesiants, were burnt at the stake. 

At the commencement of this century, the 
Moors in Spain, were converted to the Christian 
faith by force, and in the year 1517 MARTIN 
LUTHER began the great work of the Reforma- 
tion in Germany. The Pope, Leo X, was violently 
opposed to it, but it advanced rapidly in Sweden, 
Denmark, Hungary, Prussia, and somewhat in 
France, 



380 MODEEN HISTORY, 

In consequence of difficulties between the pope 
and Henry VIII of England, the papal power was 
overthrown in his kingdom, and England separated 
from the Romish church. In 1572 the reformation 
was completed in Scotland by John Knox, and 
that country declared protestant, and the pope's 
authority there abolished. 

The state of affairs at this time in Rome was 
dark and corrupted, all Italy was in disquiet, and 
even in Rome itself, the holy city, there were 
wranglings and vices worse than in any other 
place. Even the clergy had become more corrupt 
than ever, and the pope had sent out a monk by 
the name of Tetzel to sell indulgences, which had 
power of forgiveness of sins, by the payment of a 
sum of money. 

Only in the convents was the Bible known, and 
then it was chained to its place, so that it could 
only be studied by standing before it. When 
Tetzel was selling his indulgences, he would say, 
"Pour in your money, and whatever crimes you 
may commit are forgiven. The souls of your 
friends in purgatory are released by giving money." 

Luther was a poor boy who gained his living by 
singing before the houses, and afterward became 
a monk, where he spent his time in fasting, prayer 
and studying the Bible. He translated it into the 
language of the common people, and in 1538 it 
was appointed to be read in the churches in Eng- 
land. Two years later Henry VIII dissolved all 
the monasteries in England, though more for the 
purpose of appropriating their wealth to himself, 
than interest for the advancement of protestantism. 

The Jesuits, or the Society of Jesus, was insti- 
tuted by Ignatius Loyola, a Spanish knight, about 
the year 1535. One of the vows which the Jesuits 
took upon themselves was, that they would go 
wherever the pope should command them, without 
any aid from him for their support. At this period. 



MODERN HISTORY. 381 

the papal power had received such a shock, by the 
progress of the Reformation, that the acquisition 
of such a body of men as the Jesuits, was to the 
pope of much importance. Pope Paul, therefore, 
confirmed the order, and granted them many pri- 
vileges. The Jesuits are peculiar in their opera- 
tions. Instead of retiring from the world, like 
most other religious orders, they considered them- 
selves as formed for action. They attended to all 
the transactions of the world, on account of the 
influence they might have upon religion. They 
were directed to study the dispositions of persons 
of rank, gain their friendship, and become their 
spiritual guides and confessors. To have the man 
agement of the education of the youth, they con- 
sidered the most important parts of their system. 

Before the close of the sixteenth century, the 
Jesuits had obtained the chief direction of the 
education of youth in every Catholic country in 
Europe. They had become the confessors of all 
Its monarchs — a function of great importance. 
They had, at different periods, the direction of the 
most considerable courts in Europe, and took part 
in every intrigue and revolution. In order to sup- 
port themselves and their minions, they engaged 
in extensive and profitable commerce, both in the 
East and West Indies, and had their warehouses 
in different parts of Europe. Not satisfied with 
trade alone, they acquired possession of large and 
fertile provinces. In Paragvay, in South America, 
the Jesuits civilized the natives, and trained them 
to arts and manufactures. Such was their influence, 
that a few of their number presided over some 
hundred thousand Indians. 

In the year 1545, Martin Luther died, and the 
same year the Council of Trent was established, 
and commenced publishing its decrees in favor 
of the doctrines of the church of Rome. After 
the death of Henry VIII, Edward ascended the 



382 MODERN HISTORY. 

throne,. In his reign the Liturgy was composed, 
and forty-two articles of religion were agreed upon 
by the clergy, which form the basis of the thirty- 
nine articles of the church of England. 

Edward, at his death, in 1553, gave the crown 
to Lady Jane Grey, but the Princess Mary, claimed 
the throne as her right, and succeeded in obtaining 
it the same year. She wa3 a bigoted papist, and 
in less than two years, more than four hundred 
persons were put to death, among whom were the 
bishops Latimer, Cranmer, Ridley, and other dis- 
tinguished men. 

In 1572, many Protestants throughout France 
suffered death, in the Massacre of St. Bartholomews, 
in which some of the flower of the nobility perish- 
ed. Great rejoicings were ordered to be made at 
Rome on the occasion, and in the meantime, the 
Reformers took up arms in defence of their cause. 
Upwards of 70,000 were slaughtered in Paris alone, 
and the massacre extended into other parts of the 
kingdom. 

After the death of Mary, in 1558, Elizabeth, 
daughter of Henry VIII, ascended the throne, 
and under her reign the kingdom attained a higher 
prosperity than it had ever known before, and 
England and Spain were considered the most 
powerful nations in Europe. Elizabeth being a Pro- 
testant, Philip, king of Spain, determined to conquer 
England, and in three years prepared 130 ships, 
called the Invincible Armada. It was defeated, and 
out of 30,000 men, only 6,000 returned to Spain. 

In 1584, Queen Elizabeth granted to Sir Walter 
Raleigh the right to possess and govern remote 
countries. Raleigh immediately sent over two ships 
to America, and took possession of a part of the 
country, and named it Virginia. 



MODERN HISTORY. 383 

A, D, 1600 to A, D, 1700. 




SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 

7n ^<? beginning of this century, permanent settlements were 
effected in the United States at Jamestown and Plymouth. Civ- 
il war in England. Charles I beheaded for treason, in 1649. 
Oliver Cromwell, the Puritan General, Lord Protector of the 
Commonwealth of England, grants religious toleration, and the 
nation becomes the most powerful in Europe. 

In the year 1602, the Puritans separated from 
the established Church of England, and a few years 
after, in consequence of the persecution they re- 
ceived, they removed to Holland. In 1620, they 
sailed for America, under the charge of Elder Brew- 
ster, and landed at Plymouth the 22d of December. 

In 1605, Guy Fawkes, and other Roman Catho- 
lics, formed a scheme to cut off the king, lords, and 



384 MODERN HISTORY. 

commons of England, at a meeting of Parliament, 
which was called the gunpowder plot. It was dis- 
covered, and the conspirators put to death. 

About the commencement of this century, the 
Dutch formed settlements in various j>laces. In 
America, they sailed up the Hudson river about 150 
miles, and erected a fort where Albany now stands, 
which they named Fort Orange, and a few trading 
houses at a point which they named JYeio Amster- 
dam, now New York. 

The Spaniards also made their settlements in the 
southern part of America, particularly in Chili and 
Peru, whose rich mines were a source of attraction 
to them, and they brought back immense quanti- 
ties of precious metals from those countries. 

In 1607, the English colonists settled in James- 
town, named in honor of King James. Even the 
nobility of England were seized with the general 
spirit of exploring the new world, and swarms of 
European adventurers were constantly crowding 
the seas discovering new islands and countries. 

In 1613, the same translation of the Bible into 
English now in use was made and greatly diffused 
throughout the country. Toward the close of the 
last century, religious toleration had been granted 
to the Huguenots in France, under the famous edict 
of Nantes, which in 1685 was revoked by Louis 
XIV. On this account a great number of the most 
skillful workmen were banished into the surround- 
ing countries ; 800,000 persons were scattered from 
France, England, Switzerland, Germany, and were 
greatly improved by the addition of such citizens. 

In 1664, John Eliot, a distinguished minister of 
New England, devoted himself to the improvement 
of the Indians, and labored and preached among 
them for many years. The first Bible printed in 
America was published in Cambridge, Mass., trans- 
lated into the Indian tongue by Mr. Eliot. 

In 1641, the Catholics in Ireland rose in 



MODERN HISTORY. 385 

rebellion and massacred the Protestants. — The 
Friends, or Quakers, first came to Massachusetts in 
1656, and endured much religious persecution, and 
four of them were put to death in 1659. — In 1603, 
James, the sixth king of Scotland of that name, 
became king of Great Britain, uniting in his person 
the crowns of Scotland and England. As he was 
educated a Presbyterian, the Puritans hoped that 
they would enjoy the toleration of their religious 
worship. But they were disappointed, and many 
left their native country to enjoy liberty else- 
where. James was an arbitrary monarch, and held 
to the divine right of kings to govern their subjects 
without control. His successor, Charles I, inherited 
the same principles with his father. 

Charles, soon after he ascended the throne, was 
offended with the parliament for refusing to grant 
him sufficient supplies to carry on a war with Spain. 
He then proceeded to raise money without their 
authority. One of these methods was by a tax 
called ship-money. Charles claimed the right to 
command his subjects to provide and furnish ships, 
together with men, victuals and ammunition, in 
such numbers and at whatever time he should think 
proper ; a claim contrary to the magna charta of 
English liberty. A noble stand was taken against 
this tax by John Hampden, a man of great talents 
and patriotism, and had the effect of rousing the na- 
tion to sustain their liberties. Charles also created 
great discontent bj his endeavoring to regulate 
the religious affairs of the nation : by the advice of 
Laud, archbishop of Canterbury, he introduced new 
ceremonies in the church, and endeavored to intro- 
duce Episcopacy into Scotland. The last attempt 
was most violently opposed by the Scots. 

Charles, by his despotic acts, particularly his im- 
prisoning and impeaching a number of the mem- 
bers of parliament, kindled the flame of civil war. 
In 1642, both parties resolved to terminate the con- 



386 MODE II X HISTOET. 

test by the sword. The cause of the king was sup- 
ported by the greater part of the nobility and gen- 
try, and by the Catholics ; that of the parliament 
by the common people of the country, the mer- 
chants and tradesmen of the towns, and the oppo- 
nents of Episcopacy. The supporters of the king 
were styled Cavaliers ; those of the parliament, 
Roundheads — a name given to them by their ad- 
versaries, because they cropped their hair. The 
war raged with various success for nearly five 
years ; but the royalists were overcome, and Charles 
fell into the hands of his enemies. 

The parliament, now under the influence of the 
army, instituted a high court, consisting of 133 
members, to try Charles as a tyrant, traitor, and 
murderer. Charles denied their authority to try 
him, and would not make any defense. He was, 
however, condemned to suffer death by being be- 
headed. The unfortunate king submitted to his 
fate with fortitude and composure. Having laid 
his head on the block, one of the masked execu- 
tioners severed it from his body by a single blow : 
the other holding it up, exclaimed, " Behold the 
head of a traitor." Charles, though unwise, im- 
prudent, and unfaithful in his promises as a king, 
had, nevertheless, many virtues in private life ; and 
it is said of him, " He would have made a much 
better figure in private life than he did upon the 
throne." He was executed January 30th, 1649, in 
the 49th year of his age. 

The army of the parliament during the war 
against the royalists was commanded by able offi- 
cers, of whom Oliver Cromwell was the most dis- 
tinguished. On the death of Charles I, monarchy 
and the House of Lords were both abolished by the 
Commons, and a republican government, or Com- 
monwealth, was established. 

The parliament at the first was constituted 
under the influence of the Presbyterians / next the 



MODERN HISTOEY. 387 

Independents gained the ascendency ; then the 
power passed into the hands of the army of whom 
Cromwell had the management. Previous to his 
taking the sovereign power, Cromwell forcibly dis- 
solved the Long Parliament, so called from its 
having been in session twelve years. This body 
having become jealous of Cromwell, determined to 
reduce the army, and thus diminish his power. 
Cromwell, perceiving their object, went with 300 
of his men to the parliament, turned the members 
out of the house, and locked the door. A new 
parliament was formed, often called Barebone^s Par- 
liament, from a leading member of that name, who 
was a leather dresser. After this body was dis- 
solved, Cromwell was declared Protector, and be- 
came in every respect a king, except the name. 

The commonwealth of England is dated from the 
death of Charles I. to the restoration of monarchy 
under his son, Charles II, a period of about eleven 
years. During this period, when under the gov- 
ernment of Cromwell, the nation arrived to a great 
degree of prosperity, and became the most power- 
ful in Europe. The protector granted religious 
toleration, caused justice to be faithfully adminis- 
tered, and his officers of government were gene- 
rally men of moral and religious principles, and 
vice was discountenanced at his court. He died in 
the 69th year of his age, and was succeeded by his 
son, Richard, who soon resigned the office of pro- 
tector, and retired to private life. Cromwell, in 
private life, was exemplary, and was deeply im- 
pressed with religious feelings. His army, also, in 
a remarkable manner, partook of the same spirit. 



388 MODEBN HISTOSY, 

A. 1>. 170© to A. D. 1§0®. 




EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 

The prominent figure represents the Genius of America with 
the national emblems of the United States ; she displays hir in* 
dependence and tramples on the emblems of royalty. At the 
beginning of the century, Peter the Great founds St. Peters- 
burg amid the snowy regions of Russia, and lays the foundation 
of a mighty empire. At the close of the century the French 
Revolution breaks out, Atheism is triumphant, death is pro» 
claimed "an eternal sleep," crowned heads fall by the ax of the 
guillotine, blood flows on every side, anarchy and the " Reign 
of Terror" prevails. 

The progress of Christianity at the beginning of 
this century was generally uninterrupted, and the 
light of the gospel was extended, into distant 
lands. 



MODEEX HIST OK Y. 389 

In England, the labors of Wesley and Whitfield 
advanced the cause of religion, and thousands were 
reclaimed from vicious habits and became sincere 
Christians, and useful members of society. Whit- 
field was a man of uncommon eloquence, a preacher 
of devotional spirit, and moved vast multitudes to 
a wonderful degree, He addressed them in the 
open fields, as well as in places of public resort, and 
his unparalelled influence over the minds of his au- 
ditors has left a name that will be held in everlast- 
ing remembrance. 

About the close of the last century, Russia had 
been raised from a state of barbarism by Peter the 
Great, who reigned from 1696 to 1725. After he 
had ascended the throne, he wished to form a navy, 
and to understand the art of ship-building person- 
ally, went to Holland in disguise, where he engaged 
himself in the dock-yards as a common workman. 
He, like the rest of his companions worked with his 
own hands, and from there went to England, for 
the same purpose, when he returned to Russia, 
where he laid the foundation of a northern capital, 
which was named after himself, St. Petersburg. 
He defeated the Swedes at Pultowa, and thereby 
extended the bounds of his kingdom. 

The American Revolution is one of the most 
prominent events in the eighteenth century. It 
established the independence of thirteen colonies of 
Great Britain as an independent nation. The great 
grievance of which the colonists complained was that 
" taxation without representation," the imposition 
of taxes without their consent. The British Par- 
liament, in 1765, passed the Stamp Act, by which 
all paper which was used in the transaction of bu- 
siness should be stamped, and a tax paid for it to 
the British government. 

The Stamp Act so aroused the indignation of the 
colonists that the act was repealed. The system of 
raising a revenue was still persisted in by taxing 



390 MODERN HISTORY. 

tea, glass, and many other articles in common use. 
To force obedience to these oppressive acts, the 
mother country sent over a large military force to 
Boston, in the then province of Massachusetts. 
Collisions soon ensued. The first blood shed in 
the contest was at Lexington, in 1775. The whole 
country was aroused. The Continental Congress 
assembled at Philadelphia, and the next year (1776) 
independence was declared. 

The war for American Independence continued 
eight years. The first battle was at Bunker Hill, 
near Boston. The loss of the British in this action 
was over 1,000 men, while that of the Americans 
was but 100 killed and 300 wounded. George 
Washington was appointed commander of the 
American armies, and was every way worthy of the 
confidence placed in him, and has left a name ever 
to be revered by his countrymen. The contest was 
decided at Yorktown, viz. : by the surrender of 
Lord Cornwallis, in October, 1781, to the com- 
bined forces of the Americans and French. 

The war cost Great Britain, in addition to the 
loss of her colonies, one hundred million pounds 
sterling, and about 50,000 men, After peace was 
established, General Washington was inaugurated 
the first President of the United States, and from 
that time the American Republic, granting free 
toleration for religious belief and practice, has rap- 
idly advanced in prosperity and power. 

The French Revolution, which commenced in 
1789, and convulsed the whole civilized world, was 
brought on by a variety of causes. Previous to 
this time, the French people were borne down by 
a load of taxation to support the profligacy 
of their monarchs. The nobility and clergy 
had many privileges which were not allowed to 
other subjects, especially their exemption, from 
taxes. The common people were despised, yet they 
bore all the burdens and expenses of the state. 



MODERN HISTORY. 891 

The fearful horrors of the revolution may be as- 
cribed to the prevalence of infidelity among the 
French people, and the writings of Voltaire, Rous- 
seau, and other atheistical philosophers, brought on 
a fearful state of public morals. They abolished 
the Sabbath, suppressed the Christian religion, and 
declared that " Death was an eternal sleep." 

The king, Louis XVI, was condemned to death 
by the guillotine, and a revolutionary tribunal 
formed under Marat, Robespierre, and others of 
equal depravity and cruelty, and their bloody ca- 
reer is usually called " the Reign of Terror" The 
queen and sister of Louis XVI were guillotined, and 
as each party gained the ascendency, they put to 
death all who opposed them. 

In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte, a native of Cor- 
sica, was entrusted with the command of an army 
against Italy. He rose from the rank of a lieuten- 
ant to the highest degree of distinction, and soon 
conquered Italy, and, in 1798, went with an army 
of 40,000 men to subdue Egypt. After a great 
slaughter of the Mamelukes and Arabs, he took 
Alexandria, and at the battle of the Pyramids, took 
possession of Cairo. 

Of modern Protestant nations, the Danes have 
the honor of first engaging in eiforts for the con- 
version and civilization of heathen nations. Their 
missionary efforts were commenced about the year 
1705, on the coast of Malabar in the East Indies. 
The venerable Swartz, who died in 1798, after la- 
boring forty-eight years in India, was one of their 
most distinguished missionaries. The Moravians 
commenced their missionary operations about the 
year 1732. The missionary operations of the Bap- 
tists in India commenced in 1793. The London 
Missionary Society was formed 1795, and first di- 
rected their eiforts to the South Sea Islands. 



392 MODERN HISTORY. 

A. ». 1§00 to 



NINETEENTH CENTURY. 

The latter part of this century is yet to come. A t its com- 
mencement Napoleon Bonaparte. , the greatest captain of the 
age, was distinguished for his victories over European nations. 
He died an exile on St. Helena. The invention of the stea?n 
engine, propelling boats, land carriages, and moving machinery, 
with the telegraph wires conveying intelligence with lightning 
" over land and through seas, distinguishes the age. 



The nineteenth century thus far has been distin- 
guished in a very remarkable manner for the efforts 
to spread the knowledge of Christianity in all parts 
of the world. The present century is also distin- 
guished for great political changes, the discoveries 
made by the scientific and inventive genius of men 
in all parts of the civilized world. 



MODERN HISTORY. 393 

The formation of the British and Foreign Bible 
Society, in 1804, may be justly considered as a new 
and important era in diffusing the knowledge of 
divine truth throughout the world. This society 
was formed in London, by an assembly of about 
three hundred persons of different religious denom- 
inations. Since the formation of this society, many 
others have been established in various countries, 
and the Bible is now circulated in every part of the 
world. 

The efforts of the London Missionary Society in 
the South Sea Islands met with but little success 
till the year 1813. Pomare, the king of Otaheite, 
and his people renounced idolatry, since which time 
Christianity has made progress. This society has 
also flourishing establishments among the Hotten- 
tots and Bushmen of South Africa, as well as in 
the East Indies. 

The American Board of Commissioners for For- 
eign Missions was formed in 1810, and has establish- 
ments in various parts of the world. Their mission- 
aries reached the Sandwich Islands in 1820, and 
were very successful. The people of the islands 
may now be considered as a civilized and Christian 
community. The Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian 
and other denominations are all making efforts to 
diffuse the light of Christianity in the remote and 
dark and destitute places of the earth. 

Napoleon Bonaparte, the great military captain 
of modern times, was crowned by the Pope asUm- 
peror of France, in 1 804, and the next year assumed 
the title of King of Italy. The next year he de- 
feated the combined armies of Russia and Austria 
at Austerlitz. In 1806, he defeated the Prussians 
at the great battle of Jena. He now disposed of 
crowns and kingdoms at his will. His brother Jo- 
seph was appointed king of Holland, Jerome king 
of Westphalia, and Murat, who married his sister, 
king of Naples. 



394 MODERN HISTORY. 

The Emperor Alexander, of Russia, refusing to 
concur with the French emperor in excluding Brit- 
ish commerce from the continent, gave rise to a 
war, which commenced in 1812. With an army 
of nearly half a million of men, collected from al- 
most every nation in Europe, Napoleon advanced 
to the conquest of Russia. After the battle of Bo- 
rodino, which terminated the lives of 75,000 human 
beings, the French army entered Moscow, in Sep- 
tember, 1^12. The Russians, in order to deprive 
the French of winter quarters, destroyed their pro- 
visions, abandoned the city, set it on tire, and three- 
fourths of this ancient capital was laid in ashes. 

This unexpected sacrifice on the part of the Rus- 
sians caused the ruin of Napoleon. Being without 
quarters, and short of provisions, he offered terms 
of peace. The Russians replied that they could 
listen to no terms while an enemy remained in their 
country. No alternative was now left but to re- 
treat towards the frontiers. One of the most dis- 
tressing scenes on human record now followed. 
A Russian winter, unusually severe, now set in with 
all its horrors. The wretched soldiers, pursued by 
the Russians, overcome by hunger, cold, and fatigue, 
sunk down by thousands, and were left by their 
companions to perish amid the Russian snows. 
About 30,000 horses perished in one day by the se- 
verity of the weather. It is stated that not more 
than 50,000 men, (being one man in ten,) survived 
to recross the Russian frontier. 

Napoleon having been pursued by the Russians, 
Austrians, and Prussians, arrived in Paris. He 
raised a fresh army of 350,000 men, and advanced 
towards the allied forces. More than 400,000 com- 
batants met at Leipsic. A great battle was fought ; 
Napoleon being routed, was obliged to abdicate 
the throne of France and retire to Elba, a small 
island near Italy. While a general congress was 
assembled in Vienna, to arrange the affairs of Eu- 



MODERN HISTORY. 395 

rope, Napoleon suddenly left Elba, passed on to 
Paris without obstruction, raised an army of 150,000 
men, passed into Belgium to attack the Prussian 
armies, under Blucher and Wellington. 

The French commenced a furious assault upon 
the Prussians, who retreated, leaving 15,000 of 
their number dead and wounded on the field of bat- 
tle. The British troops, after bravely withstanding 
the French, fell back to the village of Waterloo. 
Here, on the 18th of June, 1815, a memorable bat- 
tle was fought, in which the French were totally 
routed, with a loss of 40,000 in killed and wounded. 
Napoleon went to Paris, abdicated the throne, and 
afterwards went on board of a British ship of war 
and surrendered himself to the hospitality of the 
British people. By direction of the allied sove- 
reigns, he was sent a prisoner to the island of St. 
Helena, in October, 1815 ; and there died in May, 
1821, in the 52d year of his age. 

The Crimean tear commenced in 1S54, by France 
and Great Britain, to sustain Turkey against the 
encroachments of Russia upon her territory, which 
has for a long period been coveted by that power. 
The capture of the important Russian fortresses at 
Sevastopol by the allied forces in 1855, virtually 
ended the war. This conflict will probably have 
an important bearing upon the extension of Chris- 
tianity throughout the Turkish empire. In compli- 
ance with the demands of his allies, the Turkish 
Sultan, in 1856, granted the imperial firman, where- 
by his Christian subjects were to receive equal civil 
rights with the Mohammedans. 

The discovery and application of steam power to 
varied and important uses, the wonderful power of 
electricity operating upon the telegraph wires, prom- 
ises much for the welfare of the human race. 

In the summer of 1858, several telegraph com- 
munications passed between Europe and America 
on the wires of the Atlantic Telegraph Gab e, lying 
on the bed of the ocean. 



396 MODERN HISTORY. 

While there is much to encourage us for the fu- 
ture, there are occasionally demonstrations of the 
depravity of mankind. In 1860, the Maronite 
Christians about Mount Lebanon and in Damascus, 
in Syria, suffered dreadful enormities from the 
Druses and Moslems. Already it is stated that 
5,000 Maronites have been massacred, numerous 
villages have been totally destroyed, while tens of 
thousands have barely escaped with their lives. It 
is, however, believed that these events, with those 
of the recent rebellion of the Sepoys in India, will 
finally be overruled for the more rapid extension of 
the light and beneficent power of Christianity 
throughout the world. 



A 

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE 



RELIGIOUS AND IMPORTANT EVENTS BEFORE THE COMMENCEMENT VK 
THE CHRISTIAN ERA. 

B.C. 

4004. The creation of the world, according to the Hebrew 

text of the scriptures. 
2348. The universal deluge. 
2247. The building of Babel. The dispersion of mankind, 

and the confusion of languages. 
2227. Ninus, King of Assj^ria, began to reign. 
2217. Nimrod supposed to have built Babylon. 
218S. Menes (Misraim,) founds the monarchy of Egypt. 
1996. 'I he birth of Abram. 
1897. Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed. 
1823. Death of Abraham. 
1635. Joseph dies in Egypt. 

1582. The Chronology of the Arundelian marbles begins. 
1571. Moses born in Egypt. 
1556. Cecrops founds the kingdom of Athens. 
1546. Scamander founds (he kingdom of Troy. 
1520. Corinth built. 
1519. Cadmus builds Thebes, and introduces letters into 

Greece. 
1513. The supposed era of the history of Job. 
1491. Moses brings the Israelites out of Europe. 
1453. The first Olympic games celebrated in Greece. 
1452. The Pentateuch, or five books of Moses, written. 
1451. The Israelites led into the land of Canaan by Joshua. 
1415. The Book of Joshua supposed to be written. 
1255. The Israelites delivered by Deborah and Barak. 
1252. Tyre, the capital of Phcenicia, built by the Sidonians. 
1207. Gideon, Judge of Israel for forty years. 
1184. Troy taken and burnt by the Greeks. (According to 

the Arundelian marbles, 1209.) 
1099. Samuel delivers Israel. 
1079. Saul king of Israel. 
1055. David king of Israel. 
1004. Dedication of Solomon's temple. 

886. Homer's poems brought from Asia into Greece. 

869. The city of Carthage built by Dido. 

806. Jonah preaches repentance to Nineveh. 

776. The first Olympiad begins in this year. 

752. The foundation of Borne by Romulus. 

724. Hezekiah tenth king of Judah. 



398 

B. C. 

721. Salmanazar takes Samaria, and carries the ten tribes 
into captivity. End of the Israelitish kingdom, 

711. Sennacherib, king of . A v yria, invades Jud^a. 

708- Habakknk prophesieu 

681. The kingdoms of Bab^ion and Assyria united. 

658. Byzantium (afterwards Constantinople) founded. 

. End of the Assyrian empire, Nineveh taken by H*» 

buchadnezzar. 

551. Confucius, the Chinese philosopher, born. 

538. Babylon taken by Cyrus. 

536. Cyrus ascends the throne of Persia. He puts an end to 
the Jewish captivity, which had lasted seventy years. 

— — . Daniel prophesied. 

520. The Jews begin to build the second temple, which is 
finished in four years. 

480. The Spartans, under Leonidas, slain at Thermopylae. 

. Xerxes leaves Greece. 

456. Cincinnatus, Dictator at Rome. 

455. Commencement of the seventy prophetical weeks of 
Daniel. 

452. The two books of Chronicles supposed to have been 
written by Ezra. 

431. The Peloponnesian war begins, which lasted twenty- 
seven years. 

430. The history of the Old Testament ends about this time. 

. Malachi the last of the prophets. 

. Persecution and death of Socrates. 

385. Pome taken by the Gauls nnder Brennus. 

348. Plato died. 

. Alexander the Great, king of Macedon. 

333. The Persians defeated by Alexander at Issus. 

328. Alexander passes into India, defeats Porus, founds 
several cities, penetrates to the Ganges. 

324. Alexander the Great, dies at Babylon. 

283. The Library of Alexandria founded. 

277. The translation of the Septuagint made by the order 
of Ptolemy Philadelphus. 

211. Antiochns the Great conquers Judea. 

166. Judas Maccabeus drives the Syrians out of Judea. 

146. Carthage taken and destroyed by the Romans. 

135. The history of the Apocrypha ends. 
80. Julius Cesar makes his first campaign. 
48. The Alexandrian Library of 400,000 vols, burnt. 
45. The Calendar reformed by Julius Cesar. 
5. Augustus ordains a census of all the people in the Ro- 
man empire. 



A 

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE 

OF 

IMPORTANT AND INTERESTING RELIGIOUS EVENTS, WHICH HAVE 

OCCURRED SINCE THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN 

ERA TO THE PRESENT TIME. 



A.D. 

JesDs Christ, the Saviour of mankind, was born four years 
before the commencement of the Christian era. 
26. John the Baptist preaches in Judea the coming of the Messiah. 
29. Jesus Christ is crucified. 
35. Conversion of St. Paul to Christianity. 

39. St. Matthew writes his gospel. 

40. The name of Christians first given to the disciples of Christ 

at Antioch. 

41. Herod persecutes the Christians, and imprisons Peter. 

42. Sergius Paulus, proconsul, converted by St. Paul. 
44. St. Mark writes his gospel. 

50. St. Paul preaches in the Areopagus at Athens. 

60. Christian religion published in England. 

64. The first persecution raised by Nero. 

67. St. Peter and St. Paul put to death. 

70. Titus destroys Jerusalem. The lands of Judea sold. 

95. Dreadful persecutions of the Christians at Rome and in the 

provinces. 
95. St. John writes his Apocalypse. 

writes his gospel. 
98. Trajan forbids the Christian assemblies. 
-08. St. Ignatius was devoured by wild beasts at Rome. 
1 8. Persecution of the Christians renewed by Adrian, but after- 
wards suspended. 
1 37. Adrian rebuilds Jerusalem by the name of Elia Capitolina. 
.39. Justin Martyr writes his first apology for the Christians. 
i67. Poly carp and Pionicusus suffered martyrdom at Asia. 
177. Persecution of the Christians at Lyons. 

In the second century Christian assemblies are held on Sun- 
day, and other stated days, in private houses, and in the 
burying places of martyrs. 
Infant baptism and sponsors used in this century. 
Various festivals and fasts established. 

A distinction formed between the bishops and presbyters, 
who with the deacons and readers are the only orders of 
ecclesiastics known in this century. 
The sign of the cross and anointing used. 
The custom of praying towards the east introduced. 



A.D. 

202. The fifth persecution of the Christians, principally in Egypt 

203. The Scots converted to Christianity by the preaching of 

Marcus and Dionysius. 
236. The sixth persecution of the Christians. 
250. The seventh persecution of the Christians under Decius. 
257. The eighth persecution of the Christians. 
260. The temple of Diana of Ephesus burned. 
272. The ninth persecution of the Christians. 

The Jewish Talmud and Targum composed in the thirc 

century. 
The Jews are allowed to return into Palestine. 
Many illustrious men and Roman senators converted to 

Christianity 
Religious rites greatly multiplied in this century; altars 

used ; wax tapers employed. 
Public churches built for the celebration of Divine worship. 
The pagan mysteries injudiciously imitated in many respects 

by the Christians. 
The tasting of milk and honey previous to baptism, and the 
person anointed before and after that holy rite receives a 
crown, and goes arrayed in white some time after. 
302. The tenth persecution of the Christians. 
306. Constantine the Great, emperor of Rome, stops the perse- 
cution of the Christians. 
313. Edict of Milan published by Constantine — Christianity tole- 
rated throughout the empire. 

325. Constantine assembles the first general council at Nice, 

where the doctrines of Arius are condemned. 

326. St. Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, introduced monarchism 

into the Roman empire. 
361. Julian, emperor of Rome, abjures Christianity, and is elected 
Pontifex Maximus. Attempts fruitlessly to rebuild the 
temple of Jerusalem. 
381. Second general council held at Constantinople. 
387. St. Jerome dies, aged seventy-eight. 
397. St. Chrysostom chosen patriarch of Constantinople. 

In the fourth century the Athanasians or Orthodox perse- 
cuted by Constantius, who was an Arian, and by Valens, 
who ordered eighty of their deputies, all ecclesiastics, to 
be put on board a ship, which was set on fire as soon as 
it was got clear of the coast 
Remarkable progress in this century of the Christian religion 

among the Indians, Goths, Marcomanni, and Iberians. 
Theodosius the Great is obliged by Ambrose, bishop of Milan, 
to do public penance for the slaughter of the Thessalonians. 
The Eucharist was during this century administered in some 
places to infants and persons deceased. 
Something like the doctrine of transubstantiation is held* 



A.D. 

and the ceremony uf the elevation used in the celebration 
of the eucharist. The use of incense, and of the censor, 
with several other superstitious rites, introduced. — The 
churches are considered as externally holy, the saints art 
invoked, images used, and the cross worshipped. The 
clerical order augmented by new ranks of ecclesiastics, 
such as archdeacons, country bishops, archbishops, metro- 
politans, exarchs, &c. 
412. T\e Pelagian heresy condemned by the bishops of Afiica. 
432. 1 bo conversion of the Irish to the Christian faith effected by 

St. Patrick, whose original name was Succathus. 
451, The fourth general council held at Chalcedon. 
497 Clovis and the Franks converted to Christianity. 

During the fifth century terrible persecutions were carried 

on against the Christians in Britain by the Picts, Scots, 

and Anglo-Saxons — in Spain, Caul, and Africa, by the 

Vandals — in Italy and Pannania, by the Visigoths — in 

Africa by the Donatists and Circumcellians — in Persia by 

the Isdegerdes — besides the particular persecutions carried 

on alten. * Jy against the Arians and Anathasians. 

Felix III., L*shop of Rome, is excommunicated, and his name 

struck out of the dyptycs, or sacred registers, by Acacius, 

bishop of Constantinople. 

Many ridiculous fables invented during this century ; such 

as the story of the phial of oil brought from heaven by a 

pigeon at the baptism of Clovis — the vision of Attiala, &c. 

516. The computation of time by the Christian era introduced by 

Dyonisius the monk. 
519. Justin restores the orthodox bishops, and condemns the 

Eutychians. 
525. The emperor Justin deposes the Arian bishops. 
565. The Picts converted to Christianity by St. Columbia. 
569. Birth of Mahomet, the false prophet. 
5 SO. The Latin tongue ceases to be spoken. 
696. Forty Benedictine monks, with Augustine at their head, sent 
into Britain by Gregory the Great to convert Ethelbert, 
king of Kent, to the Christian faith. 
In the sixth century the orthodox Christians are oppressed 
by the emperor Anstatius Thrasemond, king of the Van- 
dals, Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, &c. 
Benedictine order founded, and the canon of mass establish- 
ed by Gregory the Great. 
Augustine the monk converts the Saxons to Christianity. 
Female converts are greatly multiplied in this century. 
Litanies introduced into the church of France. 
The Arians are driven out of Spain. 

The Christian era formed by Diony^ius the Little, who first 
began to count the course of time, from the birth of Christ, 



A.D. 

The Justinian Code Pandects, Institutions and Novelise, col- 
lected and formed into a body. 
609. The Jews of Antioch massacre the Christians. 

611. The church and abbey of Westminster founded. 

612. Mahomet begins to publish the Koran. 

In the seventh century the archbishoprics of London and 
York are founded, with each twelve bishoprics under its 
jurisdiction. 
Boniface IV. receives from the tyrant Phocas (who was the 
great patron of popes, and the chief promoter of their 
grandeur) the famous Pantheon, which is converted into 
a church. Here Cybele was succeeded by the Virgin 
Mary, and the pagan deities by Christian martyrs. Idola- 
try still subsisted, but the objects of it were changed. 
Ina, king of West Saxony, resigns his crown and assumes the 
monastic habit in a convent at Rome. During the heptarchy, 
many Saxon kings took the same course. Pope Agatho 
ceases to pay the tribute which the see of Rome was accus- 
tomed to pay the emperor at the election of its pontiff. 

* v 26. Leo forbids the worship of images, which occasions a great 
rebellion of his subjects, the pope defending the practice. 

728. Leo orders pope Gregory to be seized and sent to Constan- 
tinople, but the order is frustrated, and Leo confiscates the 
imperial dominions of Sicily and Calabria. 

736. Leo persecutes the monks. 

737. Death of Pelagius, who preserved the Christian monarchy 

in Austria. 

753. Astolphus, king of the Lombards, erects the dukedom of Ra- 

venna, and claims from the pope the dukedom of Rome. 

754. Pepin invades Italy, and strips Astolphus of his new posses- 

sions, conferring them on the pope as a temporal sovereignty. 
770. Constantine dissolves the monasteries in the east. 
781. Irene re-establishes the worship of images. 
787. The seventh general council, or second of Nice, is held. 

In the eighth century the ceremony of kissing the pope's toe 

is introduced. 
The Saxons, with Witekind their monarch, converted to 

Christianity. 
The Christians persecuted by the Saracens, who massacre 

five hundred monks in the abbey of Lerins. 
Controversy between the Greek and Latin churches, concern- 
ing the Holy Ghost's proceeding from the Son. 
Gospel propagated in Hyrcania and Tartary. 
The reading of the epistle and gospel introduced into the 

service of the church. 
Churches built in honour of saints. 
Solitary and private masses instituted. 
^29. Missionaries sent from France to Sweden. 



A.D. 

851. Pope Joan supposed to have fille-1 the papal chair for two 

years. 
867 Photius, patriarch of Constantinople, excommunicates pope 

Adrian. 
886 The university of Oxford founded by Alfred. 

In the ninth century the conversion of the Swedes, Danes, 
Saxons, Huns, Bohemians, Moravians, Sclavonians, Rus- 
sians, Indians, and Bulgarians, which latter occasions a 
controversy between the Greek and Latin churches. 
The power of the pontiffs increase; that of the bishops di- 
minishes; and the emperors are vested of their ecclesias- 
tical authority. 
The fictitious relics of St. Mark, St. James, and St. Bartholo- 
mew are imposed upon the credulity of the people. 
Monks and abbots now first employed in civil affairs, and 

called to the courts of princes. 
The superstitious festival of the assumption of the Virgin 
Mary, instituted by the council of Mentz, and confirmed 
by pope Nicholas I., and afterwards by Leo X. 
The legends or lives of the saints began to be composed in 

this century. 
The apostles' creed is sung in the churches ; organs, bells, 
and vocal music introduced in many places— Festivals 
multiplied. 
The order of St. Andrew, or the knights of the Thistle, in 

Scotland. 
The canonization of saints introduced by Leo II. 
Theophilus, from his abhorrence of images, banishes the 

painters from the eastern empire. 
Harold, king of Denmark, is dethroned by his subjects, on 
account of his attachment to Christianity. 
915. The university of Cambridge founded by Edward the elder. 
965. The Poles are converted to Christianity. 

In the tenth century the Christian religion is established in 

Muscovy, Denmark, and Norway. 
The baptism of bells ; the festival in remembrance of de- 
parted souls, and a multitude of other superstitious rites 
were introduced in the tenth century. 
Fire ordeal introduced. 

The influence of monks greatly increased in England. 
{015. The Manichean doctrines prevalent in France and Italy. 
1061. Henry IV. of Germany, on his knees asks pardon of tb 2 pope. 
1085. The Turks take Jerusalem from the Saracens. 
L076. The emperor Henry IV. excommunicated and depo&«d by 

the pope. 
1079. Doomsday-book begun by William the Conqueror. 
1095. The first crusade to the Holy Land. The crusaders take 
Antioch. 



A.D. 

1099. Jerusalem taten by Godfrey, of Boulogne. The knights of 
St. John instituted. 
In the eleventh century, the office of cardinal instituted. — 
A contest between the emperors and popes. — Several of 
the popes are looked upon as magicians, and learning 
was considered magic. — The tyranny of the popes op- 
posed by the emperors Henry I., II., and III. of England, 
and other monarchs of that nation ; by Philip, king of 
France, and by the English and German schools. 
Baptism performed by triple immersion. 
Sabbath fasts introduced by Gregory VII. 
The Cistersian, Carthusian, and whipping orders, with many 
others, are founded in this century. 
1147. The second crusade excited by St. Bernard. 
1160. The Albigenses maintain heretical doctrines. 
1171. T. Becket murdered at Canterbury. 
1 1 87. The city of Jerusalem taken by Saladin. 
1 189. The third crusade under Richard I. and Philip Augustus. 
In the twelfth century the three military orders of the 
knights of St. John, of Jerusalem, the knight templars, 
and the Teutonic knights of St. Mary, were instituted. 
Sale of indulgences begun by the bishops, soon after mo- 
nopolized by the popes. 
The scholastic theology, whose jargon did such mischief in 

the church, took its rise in this century. 
Pope Paschal II. orders the Lord's supper to be administer- 
ed only in one kind, and retrenches the cup. 
1202. The fourth crusade sets out from Venice. 
1204. The Inquisition established by pope Innocent III. 
1210. Crusade against the Albigenses, under Simon de Montfort. 
1226. Institution of the orders of St. Dominic and St. Francis. 
1234. The Inquisition committed to the Dominican monks. 
1248. The fifth crusade, under St. Louis. 
1260. Flagellants preach baptism with blood. 
1282. Th3 Sicilian's vespers, when 8,000 Frenchmen were mas- 
sacred in one night. 
1291. Ptolemais taken by the Turks. End of the crusades. 
1293. Jubilee first celebrated at Rome. 

1299. Ottoman, or Othoman, first sultan, and founder of the 

Turkish empire. 

In the thirteenth century the knights of the Teutonic order, 

under the command of Herman de Saliza, conquer and 

convert to Christianity the Prussians. 

The power of creating bishops, abbots, &c. claimed by the 

Roman pontiff. 
John, king of England, excommunicated by pope Innocent 
III., and through fear of that pontiff, is guilty of the most 
degrading compliances. 



A.D, 

Jubilees instituted by Boniface VIII. 

The Jews driven out of France by Lewis IX., and their 
Talmud burnt 

The associations of Hans-Towns, Dominicans, Fran- 
ciscans, Servites, Mendicants, and the hermits of St. 
Augustine, date the origin of their orders from this cen 
tury. 

The festivals of the nativity of the blessed Virgin, and of 
the holy sacrament, or body of Christ instituted. 
1308. The seat of the popes transferred to Avignon for seventy 

years. 
1310. Rhodes taken by the knights of St. John to Jerusalem. 

1377. Wickliffes doctrines propagated in England. 

1378. The schisms of the double popes at Rome and Avignon be- 

gins and continues thirty-eight years. 
1386. Christianity encouraged in Tartary and China; the Lithu- 
anians and Jagello, their prince, converted to the Chris- 
tian faith. 
In the fourteenth century pope Clement V. orders the ju- 
bilee, which Boniface had appointed to be held every hun- 
dredth year, to be celebrated twice in that space of time. 
The knight templars are seized and imprisoned \ many of 

them put to death, and the order suppressed. 
The Bible is translated into French by the order of Charles 

V. 
The festival of the holy lance and nails that pierced Jesus 
Christ, instituted by Clement V., in this century. Such 
was this pontiff's arrogance, that once while he was din- 
ing he ordered Dandalus, the Venetian ambassador, to be 
chained under his table, like a dog. 
1409. Council of Pisa, where pope Gregory is deposed. 
1414* Council of Constance, in which two popes were deposed, 
and the popedom remained vacant near three years. 

1415. John Huss condemned by the council of Constance for 

heresy, and burnt. 

1416. Jerome of Prague condemned by the same council, and 

burnt. 
1439. Reunion of the Greek and Latin churches, 
1450. The first book printed with types of metal ; which was the 

Vulgate Bible published at Mentz. 
1453. Constantinople taken by the Turks. 
1471. Thomas a Kempis died. 
1492. America discovered by Columbus. 
1498. Savanazola, burnt by pope Alexander VI. for preaching 

against the vices of the clergy. 
In the fifteenth century the Moors of Spain are converted 

to the Christian faith by force. 
The council of Constance remove the sacramental cup from 



A.D. 

the laity, and declare it lawful to violate the moat solemn 
engagements, when made by heretics. 

1517. The Reformation in Germany begun by Luther. 

1518. Leo X. condemns Luther's doctrines. 

1520. Massacre of Stockholm by Christiern II. and archbishop 

Trollo. 

1521. Gustavus Eriscon introduces the reformation into Sweden 

by the ministry of Olaus Petri. 
1524. Sweden and Denmark embrace the protestant faith. 

1529. Diet of Spires against the Huguenots, then first termed pro- 

testants. 

1 530. The league of Smalcand between tne protestants. 

1531. Michael Servetus burnt for heresy at Geneva. 

1534. The reformation takes place in England. 

1535. The society of the Jesuits instituted by Ignatius Loyola. 
1538. The Bible in English appointed to be read in the churches 

in England. 
1540. Dissolution of the monasteries in England by Henry VIII. 
1545. The council of Trent begins, which continued eighteen years. 
1548. The interim granted by Charles V. to the protestants. 
1552. The treaty of Passau between Charles V. and the elector of 

Saxony, for the establishment of Lutheranism. 
1555. A number of bishops in England burnt by queen Mary. 
1560. The reformation completed in Scotland by John Knox, and 

the papal authority abolished. 
1564. John Calvin, a celebrated theologian, died. 
1572. The massacre of St. Bartholomew's, August 24th. 
1576. The league formed in France against the protestants. 
1587. The second settlement in Virginia. Manteo, an Indian, 

received Christian baptism. Virginia Dare born, the first 

child of Christian parents born in the United States. 
1592. Presbyterian church government established in Scotland. 
1598. Edict of Nantes, tolerating the protestants in France. 

In the sixteenth century pope Julius bestows the cardinal's 

bat upon the keeper of his monkeys. 
1608. Arminius propagates his opinions; the Socmians publish 

their catechism at Cracow. 
1610. The protestants form a confederacy at Heilbron. 
1618. The synod of Dort, in Holland. 
16.9. Vanini burnt at Thoulouse for atheism. 
1620. Settlement of Plymouth by the puritans. 
1622. The congregation de propaganda, &c. founded at Rome by 

pope Gregory XV. 
1626. League of the protestant princes against the emperor. 

1638. The solemn league and covenant established in Scotland. 

1639. First baptist church in America formed at Providence. 

1 640. New England rsalm-book first published. 

1641. The Irish rebellion and massacre of the protestants, Oct. 33 



A.D. 

1G56. The friends or quakers first came to Massachusetts. Four 

executed in 1659. 
1GG4. Mr. Eliot's Indian Bible printed at Cambridge, Mass. 

The first Bible printed in America. 
1674. John Milton, a celebrated poet, died. 
1685. Revocation of the edict of Nantes by Lewis XIV. 
1690. Rev. J. Eliot, "apostle of the Indians," died. 

Episcopacy abolished in Scotland by king William. 
1708. Saybrook platform formed by a synod of ministers under 

the authority of the state of Connecticut. 
1731. Rev. Solomon Stoddard, a theological writer, died. 
1740. George Whitfield, a celebrated preacher, first arrives in 

America ; he dies at Newburyport, Mass., Sept. 30, 1770, 

on his seventh visit to America. 
1748. Dr. Watts, a celebrated poet and divine, died, aged 75. 
1751. Dr. Doddridge, a celebrated divine, died. 
1758. President Edwards, a celebrated divine, died. 

1772. Swedenborg, the founder of the New Jerusalem church, died. 

1773. The society of the Jesuits suppressed by the pope's bull, 

August 25. 

1774. The Shakers first arrived from England ; they settled near 

Albany. 
1782. First English Bible printed in America by Robert Aiken, 

of Philadelphia. 
1 788. Voltaire, a celebrated infidel philosopher, died 

1790. Howard, the philanthropist, died. 

1791. John Wesley, the founder of methodism, died, aged 87. 
1793. Triumph of infidelity in France. The national convention 

decreed that " death is an eternal sleep" 

1796. The London missionary society sent out a number of mis- 
sionaries to the Society islands. 

1798. The papal government suppressed by the French. — The 
pope quits Rome Feb. 26th. 

1804. British and foreign Bible society instituted. 

1806. The slave-trade abolished by act of parliament, February. 

1812. Pomare, king of Otaheite, baptized. 

1813. Russian Bible society formed at St. Petersburg. 

1815. Idolatry abolished in the Society islands. 

1816. The American Bible society instituted at New York. 
1818. Paris protestant Bible society formed. 

1820. First mariner's church erected at New- York. 

1821. Monrovia settled by the American colonization society. 
1823. American missionaries arrived at the Sandwich islands. 
1826. American temperance society formed at Boston, Mass. 



408 
A. D. 

1829. Slavery abolished in Mexico, September 15th. 

1833. W. Wilberforce, the philanthropist, died in London, 

July 28th, aged 74. 

1834. TV". Carey, an eminent Baptist missionary in Hindoo- 

stan, died June 9th, aged 73. 
1834. Slaves in the British colonies emancipated, a tempo- 
rary apprenticeship commences August 1st. 

1834. Dr. Morrison, an eminent missionary and scholar, died 

at Canton, in China, Angust 1st, aged 52. 

1835. Inquisition abolished in Spain. 

1837. E. P. Lovejoy, the abolitionist, killed &t Alton, 111., 
Nov. 7 th. 

1839. Pope Gregory. XVI., issues a bull for abolishing the 

slave trade, Dec. 3d. 

1840. "Washington Temperance Society formed in Baltimore. 
1842. Secession from the established church of Scotland by 

several hundred ministers. 
1844. Joseph Smith, the Mormon, murdered by a mob. 
1844. Secession from the Roman Catholic church in Germany 

b}* J. Ronge and I. Czerzki. 

1847. Dr. Chalmers, a distinguished Scottish divine, died. 

1848. Mormons emigrated to Utah. 

1849. The Pope having fled from Rome, the "Roman Re- 

public" is proclaimed. 

1850. Dr. Wiseman created Cardinal of Westminster, Eng- 

land, by Pius IX. 
1856. The Sultan grants Christians equal rights with his 

Turkish subjects 
1860. Massacre in Syria — 5,000 Maronite Christians killed by 

the Druses and Moslems. 



A SELECTION 



IMPORTANT AND INTERESTING 



IMijjiou^ $xn\U; 



FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF 



THE CHRISTIAN ERA, 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 




WOE ! DENOUNCED AGAINST JERUSALEM 

A countryman for several years went about the streets crying 
" Woe, woe to Jerusalem !" and at the last time of uttering this 
mournful cry, being impelled forward by a powerful impulse, 
he leaped upon the wall ; and as he added, " Woe, woe to my- 
self!" a stone sent by a Roman engine struck him dead upon 
the spot ! 



411 



A SELECTION 

OF 
IMPORTANT A.NJD INTERESTING- 

RELIGIOUS EYENTS; 

FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF 

THE CHRISTIAN ERA. 



Destruction of Jerusalem. 

The siege and destruction of the city and temple of 
Jerusalem, and the subversion of the whole political 
constitution of the Jews, is one of the most striking in- 
cidents of the divine vengeance on a wicked people, 
that we have recorded in history. Our Lord, who fore- 
saw the desolation and calamities coming upon the city, 
wept over it, declaring his willingness to gather them 
under his protection : but they would not accept of his 
salvation ; therefore destruction came upon them, and 
their " house was left unto them desolate." 

About forty years after our Lord had foretold the de- 
struction of Jerusalem, the Roman government sent an 
army under Cestius Gallius against the Jews, in order 
to quell their rebellious and factious spirit. Gallius 
came and invested Jerusalem with a powerful army. 
Our Lord declared to his disciples, that "when ye 
shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know 
that the desolation thereof is nigh. 11 And then, in 
order that his followers might be preserved in safety, 
he adds, " Then let them that are in Judea flee to the 
mountains ; and let them that are in the midst of it 
depart out," &c. This counsel was remembered and 



412 

wisely followed by the Christians, and it is mentioned 
as a remarkable fact by Eusebius and other ancient his- 
torians, that not a single Christian perished in the de- 
struction of Jerusalem, though many of them were 
there when Gallius invested the city ; and had he per* 
severed in the siege, he would have soon rendered him- 
self master of it ; but when he unexpectedly and unac- 
countably raised the siege, all who believed in Christ 
took that opportunity and fled to Pella, and other places 
beyond Jordan. 

Vespasian was appointed to succeed Gallius in pro- 
secuting the war against the Jews ; he accordingly sub- 
dued the country, and prepared to besiege Jerusalem, 
but being appointed emperor, he returned to Rome, and 
gave the command of his forces to his son Titus. Ti- 
tus, having made several assaults without success, re 
solved to surround the city (which was nearly four 
English miles in circumference) with a wall ; which 
was, with incredible speed, completed in three days ! 
The wall was strengthened with forts at proper dis- 
tances, so that all hope of safety was cut off; none 
could make his escape from the city, and no provisions 
could be brought into it ; thus fulfilling our Lord's words, 
"thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and com- 
pass thee round, and keep thee in on every side." Ti- 
tus now prosecuted the siege with vigour. In addition 
to this, the Jews were divided into factions among 
themselves, murdered each other with a blind fury, and 
burnt their provisions. No history can furnish us with 
a parallel to the calamities and miseries of the Jews ; 
rapine, murder, famine, and pestilence within, fire and 
sword, and all the horrors of war without. While 
the famine prevailed, the house of a Jewish lady named 
Miriam, was repeatedly plundered of provisions. Her 
sufferings became so extreme, that she entreated, and 
sometimes attempted to provoke those who plundered 
her, to put an end to her miserable life. At length, 
frantic with despair, she snatched her infant son from 
her breast, cut its throat, and boiled it ; and having 
satisfied present hunger, concealed the remainder. The 



413 

smell of it soon brought the voracious soldiers to her 
house ; they threatened her with the most excruciating 
tortures, if she did not discover her provisions to them, 
Being compelled in this manner, she set before them 
the mangled remains of her son. At this horrid spec- 
tacle, the soldiers, inhuman as they were, stood aghast, 
struck with horror, and at length rushed from the 
house. The report of this transaction having spread 
through the city, the horror and consternation of the 
Jews was universal : they now for the first time began 
to think themselves forsaken of God. Titus, on hear- 
ing this account, was rilled with surprise and indigna- 
tion. "Soon," said he, "shall the sun never more 
dart his beams on a city where mothers feed on their 
children ; and where fathers, no less guilty, choose to 
drive them to such extremities, rather than lay down 
their arms." 

Titus now pushed the siege with still greater vigour, 
and endeavoured to obtain possession of the temple, the 
preservation of which was strongly desired by him. A 
Roman soldier, urged on, as he said, by a divine im- 
pulse, seized a firebrand, and getting on his comrades' 
shoulders, threw it into a window of the temple, and 
immediately set this noble edifice, the pride and glory 
of the Jewish nation, in flames. Titus immediately 
gave orders to extinguish the fire ; he threatened, he 
entreated his soldiers, and used every exertion to stop 
the progress of the fire, but all in vain. The exaspe- 
rated soldiery, bent on destroying the city and all it con- 
tained, either did not hear or did not regard him. 

" These were the days of vengeance, that all things 
which were written might be fulfilled." These were 
the days in which all the calamities predicted by Mo- 
ses, Joel, Daniel, and other prophets, as well as those 
predicted by our Saviour, met in one common centre, 
and were fulfilled in the most terrible manner on that 
generation. It is remarkable that the temple was burnt 
by the Romans in the same month, and the same day 
of the month, on which it had been burned by the Ba- 
bylonians. 



414 

Martyrdom of the Theban Legion. 

During the reign of the emperor Maximian, A. 
D. 286, a legion of soldiers consisting of 6,666 men 
contained none but Christians. It was called the 
Theban legion, because it was raised in Thebias. 
Maximian, marching into Gaul, ordered a general 
sacrifice, at which the whole army were to assist, 
and take an oath at the same time, that they would 
assist him in the extirpation of Christianity in Gaul. 

Terrified at these orders, each individual of the 
Theban legion absolutely refused either to sacrifice, or 
to take the oath prescribed. This so enraged Max- 
imian, that he ordered the legion to be decimated ; that 
is, every tenth man to be selected from the rest and 
put to the sword. This cruel order having been put 
into execution, those who remained alive were still in- 
flexible, when a second decimation took place, and 
every tenth man of those living were again put to the 
sword. But this second severity made no more im- 
pression than the first had done ; the soldiers preserved 
their fortitude and principles ; but, by the advice of 
their officers, drew up a remonstrance to the emperor, 
in which they told him "that they were his subjects 
and his soldiers, but could not at the same time forget 
the Almighty ; that they received their pay from him, 
and their existence from God. 

" While your commands (say they) are not contra- 
dictory to those of our common Master, we shall always 
be ready to obey, as we have been hitherto ; but when 
the orders of our prince and the Almighty differ, 
we must always obey the latter. Our arms are de- 
voted to the emperor's use, and shall be directed 
against his enemies ; but we cannot submit to stain 
our hands with the effusion of Christian blood ; and how. 
indeed, could you, O emperor, be sure of our alle- 
giance and fidelity, should we violate our obligations to 
our God, in whose service we were solemnly engaged 
before we entered into the army ? You command us 



415 

to search out and destroy the Christians ; it is not ne- 
cessary to look any further for persons of that denomi- 
nation ; we ourselves are such, and we glory in the 
name. We saw our companions fall without the least 
opposition or murmuring, and thought them happy in 
dying for the sake of Christ. Nothing shall make us 
lift up our hands against our sovereign ; we had rather 
die wrongfully, and by that means preserve our inno- 
cence, than live under a load of guilt ; whatever you 
command we are ready to suffer ; we confess ourselves 
t) be Christians, and therefore cannot persecute Chris- 
tians, nor sacrifice to idols." 

Such a declaration, it might be presumed, would have 
affected the emperor, but it had a contrary effect ; for, 
enraged at their perseverance and unanimity, he com- 
manded that the whole legion should be put to death, 
which was accordingly executed by the other troops, 
who cut them to pieces with their swords. — Milner's 
History of Christian Martyrdom. 



Willingness of the ancient Christians to 

SUFFER FOR Christ's SAKE. 

The ancient Christians counted it an honour to suffer 
for their religion, and oftentimes gave up their lives 
with joy, for the sake of their Lord. 

In the fourth century, the emperor Valens ordered 
the Christians in Edessa to be slain, on a certain day, 
while they were at their devotions, in their churches. 
The officers, however, being more compassionate than 
the emperor, privately gave notice to the Christians 
not to assemble on the day appointed, so that they 
might escape death. The Christians thanked the offi- 
cers for their advice, but disregarded both that and the 
emperor's menaces, rather than neglect their duly. 
They accordingly repaired to the church, and the 
troops were put in motion to destroy them. As they 
marched along, a woman, with a child in her arms, 
broke through their ranks, when the officer ordered her 
lo be brought before him, and asked her where she was 




THE CHRISTIAN HEROINE. 

a woman w hh her SS7& PJ? ^ f SSembIed in Churches, 
in order to en er kf ^T? b ? he ranks of ^e soldiery 

martyrs Church and to be reckoned among the 






417 

going- ? She replied, to the church, whither others 
were making all the haste they could. " Have you not 
heard," says the officer, " of the emperor's order, to 
put to death all who are found there ?" — " I have," 
says she, " and for that cause I make the more haste." 
— " And whither," said the officer, " do you lead that 
child ?" — " I take him," replied she, " with me, that he 
also may be reckoned in the number of the martyrs." 
Upon this, the humane officer returned to the emperor, 
and told him that all the Christians were prepared to 
die in defence of their faith, represented to him the rash- 
ness of murdering so great a multitude, and entreated 
the emperor to drop the design, at least for the present ; 
with which he at length complied. — Milner'a History 
of Christian Martyrdom. 



Letter of Pliny to Trajan, relative to the 
first Christians. 

In the conduct and writings of ancient pagans, a 
great variety of important testimonies to the truth and 
spread of the Christian religion, and the purity of 
Christian principles, may be found. But perhaps in 
no instance is this testimony so clear, and yet so unde- 
signedly given, as in the epistle of Caius Plinius, or 
" the younger Pliny" (so called), addressed to the Ro- 
man emperor Trajan. 

Pliny was born A. D. 61, or 62, and about 107 
was sent to the provinces of Pontus and Bithynia, 
by Trajan, to exercise the office of governor. The 
persecutions of Christians, under Trajan, had com- 
menced about 100 ; and in these provinces, there were 
prodigious numbers of them, against whom Pliny, by 
the emperor's edict, was obliged to use all manner of 
severity. But being a person of good sense and mo- 
deration, he judged it prudent, before he proceeded to 
the extreme rigour of the law, to represent the case to 
Trajan, and receive further orders concerning it. He 
therefore wrote the following letter: — " Pliny, to the 
emperor Trajan, wisheth health and happiness :-^It is 
18* 



418 

my constant custom, sir, to refer myself to you, in all 
matters concerning - which I have any doubt. For who 
can better direct me when I hesitate, or instruct me 
where I am ignorant ? I have never been present at 
any trials of Christians ; so that I know not well what 
is the subject-matter of punishment, or of inquiry, or 
what strictness ought to be used in either. Nor have 
I been a little perplexed to determine whether any dif- 
ference ought to be made on account of age, or whether 
the young and tender, and the full-grown, and ro- 
bust, ought to be treated all alike ; whether repentance 
should entitle to pardon, or whether all who have once 
been Christians ought to be punished, though they aie 
now no longer so ; whether the name itself, although 
no crimes be detected, or crimes only belonging to the 
name, ought to be punished. Concerning all these 
things I am in doubt. 

" In the mean time, I have taken this course with 
all who have been brought before me, and have been 
accused as Christians. I have put the question to them, 
whether they were Christians ? Upon their confessing 
to me that they were, I repeated the question a second 
time, threatening to punish them with death. Such as 
still persisted, I ordered away to be punished ; for it 
was no doubt with me that contumacy, and inflexible 
obstinacy, whatever might be their opinion, ought to 
be punished. There were others of the same infatua- 
tion, whom, because they are Romans, I have noted 
down to be sent to the city. 

" In a short time, the crime spreading itself, even 
whilst under persecution, as is usual in such cases, di- 
vers sorts of people came in my way. An information 
was presented to me, without mentioning the author, 
containing the names of many persons, who, upon ex- 
amination, denied that they were Christians, or had 
ever been so ; who repeated after me an invocation of 
the gods, and with wine and frankincense made sup- 
plication to your image, which, for that purpose, I had 
caused to be brought and set before them, together 
with the statues of the deities. Moreover, they reviled 



419 

the name of Christ, none of which things, as is said, 
they who are really Christians can by any means be 
compelled to do. These, therefore, I thought proper to 
discharge. 

M Others were named by an informer, who at first 
confessed themselves Christians, and afterwards denied 
it ; the rest said they had been Christians, but had left 
them — some three years ago, some longer, and one, or 
more, above twenty years. They all worshipped your 
image, and the statues of the gods ; these also reviled 
Christ. They affirmed that the whole of their fault, or 
error, lay in this, that they were wont to meet together, 
on a stated day, before it was light, and sing among 
themselves alternately, a hymn to Christ as God ; 
and bind themselves by an oath, not to the commission 
of any wickedness, but not to be guilty of theft, rob- 
bery, or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor to 
deny a pledge committed to them, when called upon to 
return it. When these things were performed, it was 
their custom to separate, and then to come together at 
a meal, which they ate in common without any disor- 
der ; but this they had forborne since the publication 
of my edict, by which, according to your commands, I 
prohibited assemblies. 

" After receiving this account, I judged it the more 
necessary to examine, and that by torture, two maid- 
servants, which were called ministers. But I have dis- 
covered nothing beside an evil and excessive supersti- 
tion. Suspending, therefore, all judicial proceedings, 
I have recourse to you for advice ; for it has appeared 
to me a matter highly deserving consideration ; espe- 
cially upon account of the great number of persons 
who are in danger of suffering ; for many, of all ages. 
and every rank, of both sexes likewise, are accused, 
ard will be accused. Nor has the contagion of this 
superstition seized cities only, but the lesser towns 
also, and the open country. Nevertheless, it seems to 
me, that it may be restrained and corrected. It is cer- 
tain that the temples, which were almost forsaken, be- 
gin to be more frequented ; and the sacred solemni- 



420 

ties, after a long intermission, are revived. Victims 
likewise are every where bought up, whereas for some 
time, there were few purchasers. Whence it is easy 
to imagine what numbers of men might be reclaimed, 
if pardon were granted to those who shall repent." 

To this epistle, the emperor sent the following re- 
ply : — "Trajan to Pliny, wisheth health and happi- 
ness : — You have taken the right method, my Pliny, 
in your proceedings with those who have been brought 
before you as Christians ; for it is impossible to esta- 
blish any one rule that shall hold universally. They 
are not to be sought for. If any are brought before 
you, and are convicted, they ought to be punished. 
However, he that denies his being a Christian, and 
makes it evident in fact, that is, by supplicating to our 
gods, though he be suspected to have been so former- 
ly, let him be pardoned upon repentance. But in no 
case, of any crime whatever, may a bill of information 
be received, without being signed by him who presents 
it ; for that would be a dangerous precedent, and un- 
worthy of my government."* 

By this epistle it will appear that Christianity had 
rapidly been spread almost over the then known world ; 
that the Christians bore all their sufferings with noble 
fortitude, peculiar to none but Christians ; that their 
purity and innocence is fully attested ; and against 
whom, after the strictest examination, their enemies 
could find nothing of which they were guilty, save that 
they professed and maintained the character of Chris- 
tians. 



Introduction of Christianity into Britain. 

The tradition which has been most generally receiv 
od by our ancient historians, and by the nations at 
large, says Dr. A. Clarke, is that which attributes the 
introduction of the Christian religion into Britain, to 



Pliny's Epist. Lib. X 



421 

Joseph of Arimathea. The substance of this history 
is as follows : — About sixty-three years after the in- 
carnation of our Lord, and thirty after his ascension, 
Joseph of Arimathea, who had buried our Lord's body 
in his own tomb, was furnished by Philip the evan- 
gelist with eleven disciples, and sent into Britain to in- 
troduce the gospel of Christ in place of the barbarous 
rites of the Druids. With these rites, as well as with 
the character of the people, the Roman empire had be- 
come well acquainted, through the writings of Julius 
Caesar. 

These holy men, on their landing, applied to Arvi- 
ragus, a British king, for permission to settle in a rude 
and uncultivated spot, called Yuswytryn by the Bri- 
tish, Avaloai by the Romans, and Glaestingbyrig by 
the Saxons, and is still known by the name of Glas- 
tonbury. Their petition was granted, and twelve hides 
of land were assigned for their support ; and the place 
to this day is denominated the twelve hides of Glas- 
tonbury. Here, according to this tradition, the stand- 
ard of the cross was first erected ; and a chapel made 
of wicker work was the first church, or oratory of God 
in Britain. The walls of this church, according to 
Malmsbury, were made of twigs twisted together. The 
length of it was sixty feet, and the breadth of it twenty- 
six feet. The roof, according to the custom of the 
Britons, was of straw, hay, or rushes. The extent of 
the yard was so large as to contain, according to Mel- 
kinus, who lived in the year A. D. 550, a thousand 
graves. 

That this nation was converted to the faith of Christ 
by those who had been disciples of our Lord, was the 
early and constant belief of our forefathers. This runs 
through all our histories, and even through some of 
our regal acts. In the charter granted by Henry II., 
in the year of our Lord 1185, for the rebuilding of 
Glastonbury church, which had been burnt, it is styled 
" the mother and burying place of the saints, founded 
by the very disciples of our Lord ," and adds, " it has 
the venerable authority of the ancients :" and else- 



422 

where the same charter continues, «• which is incon 
trovertibly acknowledged to be the fountain and origin 
of the whole religion of England." This church was 
the head of all ecclesiastical authority in those nations, 
till the year 1154, when Pope Adrian IV. transferred 
that honour to St. Alban's. 

It is stated by several authorities, that when the 
church built by Joseph of Arimathea was decayed by 
time, Deni, a Welsh or British bishop, erected a new 
one in the same place ; that this also, in time, falling 
away in decay, twelve men came from north Britain, 
and put it in good repair. And, lastly, king Ina, donor 
of the Peterpence, pulled down the old one, and built a 
stately church, to the honour of Christ. St. Peter and 
St. Paul were filletted under the highest coping, with 
heroic verses in Latin, celebrating the memory of the 
founder, and the saints to whom it was dedicated. But 
afterwards, this church was, by the renowned Dunstan, 
converted to a monastery of Benedictine monks, him- 
self being sometimes abbot there ; and so it continued 
till the reign of Henry VIII., when it shared in the 
downfall of monastic establishments. 

The story of Lucius, king of Britain, who, in A. D. 
156, is said, by the venerable Bede, to have embraced 
the Christian faith, and who is called the first Christian 
king, is generally known. Historians say, that this 
king sent Elwan and Med win to Eleutherus, the 
twelfth bishop of Rome, praying that he might be 
instructed in the Christian faith ; which was accordingly 
done. 

Lucius, when convinced of the truth himself, and 
being confirmed therein, by the preaching of some per- 
sons well versed in the doctrines of Christianity, took 
on him the profession of that religion, and used his 
influence for the promotion of it among the people, 
with whom his example must have had considerable 
weight. Idolatry hitherto prevailed among the Silu- 
rian Britons ; but now the religion of Christ was pub- 
licly sanctioned, and the idolaters became ashamed of 
theLr practices. The ministers of the true religion 



423 

were poo/ and obscure men, and they had no regular 
places set apart for divine worship, and their adherents 
were in a forlorn and unprotected state. This gene- 
rous prince raised the Christians from their low condi- 
tion, erected suitable places for the celebration of reli- 
gious services, and thus became a nursing-father to the 
church. 

During the tenth general persecution, under the em- 
peror Dioclesian, the Christians in Britain were for a 
short time great sufferers. It is said that at this time 
the Christian religion was nearly rooted out of the 
country, and they who suffered martyrdom were almost 
without number. Gildas says, " that their churches 
were thrown down, and all the books of the Holy Scrip- 
tures that could be found were burnt in the streets, and 
the chosen priests of the flock of our Lord, together 
with the innocent sheep, murdered ; so that in some 
parts of the province, no footsteps of the Christian reli- 
gion appeared. How many did then flee, how many 
were destroyed, how many different kinds of sufferings 
some did endure, how great was the ruin of apostates, 
how glorious the crown of martyrdom !" Bede adds, 
" It made Britain to be honoured with many holy mar- 
tyrs, who firmly stood and died in the confession of 
their faith." 



An Account of the Druids. 

Druidism prevailed chiefly in Britain and in Gaul, 
though it may be found among other Celtic nations ; 
and owing to a peculiarity of national character, which 
perhaps may be said to remain to the present day, the 
Britons were more famous for the observance of their 
religion than the Gauls. For this circumstance we 
have the authority of Caesar, who says that " such of 
the Gauls as were desirous of being thoroughly instructed 
in the principles of their religion (which was the same 
with that of the Britons), usually took a journey into 
Britain for that purpose." 



424 

The religion obtained its name from the Druids, who 
were its principal priests, and held in very high esti- 
mation. Caesar affirms, that the nobles and the Druids 
were the only two privileged orders among the Bri- 
tons. So greatly were they honoured, that the people, 
supposing them peculiar favourites of the gods, were 
perfectly obedient to their commands ; and even when 
two hostile armies met, and were on the point of en- 
gaging in battle, they sheathed their swords on the 
mediation of the Druids. The persons of these priests 
were esteemed sacred and inviolable ; they were even 
exempted from all taxes and military services ; and, in 
fact, they enjoyed so many immunities and distinc- 
tions, that princes were ambitious of being admitted 
among them. The dignity of Arch-druid, or the su- 
preme head of the order, was attended with so many 
honours, and so much power and riches, that the elec- 
tion of a person to fill it sometimes even occasioned a 
civil war. 

The generality of the Druids seem to have lived a 
kind of monastic life. The services of every temple 
required the attendance of a considerable number of 
them ; and these lived in community in the neighbour- 
hood of the temple. The Arch-druid had his residence 
in the isle of Anglesea, and he there maintained an ec- 
clesiastical court in all the magnificence of the times. 
Vestiges of his palaces are still remaining. It is also 
very probable, that some of these ancient priests lived 
in seclusion as hermits ; and the small circular houses 
in the western islands of Scotland, which are called by 
the people " Druids' houses," were most likely inhabit- 
ed by such persons. All of them are supposed to have 
lived in celibacy ; but this is not absolutely certain. They 
were at any rate attended and associated with a num- 
ber of female devotees, called Druidesses, who assisted 
in the duties, and shared the honours and emoluments of 
the priesthood. The Roman soldiers were much terri- 
fied at seeing a number of these consecrated females, 
who ran up and down among the ranks of the Bri- 
tish army, with flaming torches in tl eir hands and 



425 

imprecated the wrath of heaven on the invaders of their 
country. 

With respect to the doctrines of the Druids, they had 
two sets of opinions — the one for the initiated, and the 
other for the vulgar. The former was considered to 
contain only genuine truth, in its simple form ; the 
other admitted a variety of fables, which were thought 
better adapted for popular comprehension. The Druids 
were exceedingly jealous of their secret doctrines, and 
took a variety of precautions to prevent them from trans- 
piring. They never committed them to writing, and 
they taught their disciples in caves, or the deepest re- 
cesses of forests, that they might not be heard by the 
uninitiated. In consequence of this strict concealment, 
we have at the present time but a very imperfect know- 
ledge of these doctrines. 

It is tolerably certain that the unity of the Godhead, 
and that there is one God, the creator and governor 
of the universe, was one of the doctrines of the Druids. 
There is also abundant evidence that the Druids taught 
the immortality of the souls of men ; and Mela tells us, 
that this was one of their secret doctrines, which they 
were permitted to publish for political rather than reli- 
gious reasons. 

But though such might be the secret doctrines of the 
Druids, their public ones were far less agreeable to truth 
and reason. They taught the people that there were a 
great number of gods ; and they partly invented, and 
partly adopted, an infinity of fables respecting them. 
These fables were generally contained in sacred verses, 
and were delivered by the Druids from little eminences 
(many of which are still remaining) to the surround- 
ing multitudes. With these narratives were, of course, 
mixed many moral precepts ; and their orations are 
said to have made great impression on the people, in- 
spiring them with veneration for their gods, " an ar- 
dent love to their country, an undaunted courage, and a 
sovereign contempt for death." 

" Their Supreme Being was originally worshipped 
under the name of Heses : the worship of the sun was 



426 

joined with that of fire, which was held sacred as a 
symbol of the Divinity. Those celebrated circles oi 
stones, which are still remaining at Stonehenge, and 
many other places, seem to have been temples of the 
s m, or of the moon, or probably of both. The Druids 
1'kewise adored a very considerable number of deified 
mortals, who substantially corresponded with the Greek 
and Roman gods ; they also held certain plants sacred 
especially the misletoe. 

'J 'heir mode of worship consisted in sacrifices, prayers, 
and offerings. Their sacrifices were principally such 
animals as they used for food ; but on some occasions 
human victims were offered. These occasions, too, 
were more frequent than we may be willing to suppose ; 
for it was a part of the Druid's creed, that " nothing but 
the life of man could atone for the life of man." In 
times of particular emergency or national calamity, or 
for persons of very high rank, not merely a single vic- 
tim, but a great number, were sacrificed at once. It is 
wefl known that huge colossal figures, made of osier, 
were filled with men, and then set on fire and reduced 
to ashes. But the avarice of the priests encouraged the 
people to present offerings as well as sacrifices. These 
generally consisted of the most costly and excellent 
things that could be procured, and of course contributed 
much to the luxury and splendour both of the temples and 
of the priesthood. 

Like other heathen nations, also, the Druids had their 
acts of divination, their auguries, and omens. With 
respect to their times of worship, it is probable that they 
had daily sacrifices, and other acts of religion ; and from 
the authority of Lucan, they seem to have chosen the 
hour of noon for the worship of the sun and the celes- 
tial gods ; and midnight for that of the moon and the 
infernal gods. They certainly knew the division of 
time into weeks, although it is doubtful whether one of 
the seven days was consecrated to religion. The sixth 
day of every lunar month, which by them was reckoned 
as the first day, was a religious festival. The first day 
of May was a great annual festival in honor of Belinus, 




ROMANS DESTROYING THE DRUIDS. 

The Roman Governor finding it difficult to keep the Britons in 
subjection, on account of the Druids, determined to destroy the 
latter. He pursued them into the Island of Anglesea, cut 
down their sacred proves, and burnt many of them in the fires 
which they themselves had kindled for the Roman prisoners. 



428 

or the sun. There are some vestiges of this festival 
still remaining in Ireland, and in the highlands of Scot- 
land. Midsummer day, and the first of November, 
were likewise annual festivals. All their gods and 
goddesses seem to have had similar festivals. The 
chief festival was, when the ceremony of cutting the 
misletoe from the oak was performed ; the day was about 
the beginning of March. On these festivals, after the 
appointed sacrifices and acts of devotion were finished, 
the rest of their time was spent in feasting, singing, danc- 
ing, and other diversions. 

The places in which the Druids performed their wor- 
ship were always in the open air; for it was considered 
unlawful to build temples to the gods, or to worship 
them within walls or under roofs. Sacred groves, if 
possible of oak trees, were especially chosen. In the 
centre of the grove was a circular area, enclosed with 
one or two rows of large stones, placed perpendicularly 
on the earth. This was the temple ; and within it stood 
the altar upon which the sacrifices were offered. It does 
not appear, though the Druids admitted a great number 
of gods, that they had any images. All the Celtic na- 
tions worshipped their principal deity under the sym- 
bol of an oak ; and this seems to be the nearest approach 
to the worship of images. 

The period at which the religion of the Druids took 
its rise cannot be well ascertained ; but it seems to 
have been at its zenith at the time of the invasion of 
the Romans ; after this it declined. The Druids both 
possessed and exerted a political as well as a religious 
influence upon the minds of the people ; and the Ro- 
mans, finding it inimical and dangerous to their author- 
ity, soon manifested a great animosity against the per- 
sons and the religion of these priests. They used every 
means to deprive them of their power, and showed them 
no mercy when they were found engaged in a revolt. 
At last, they pursued them into their sacred island of 
Anglesea ; and Suetonius Paulinus, who w 7 as govern- 
or of Britain, having defeated the Britons who at- 
tempted to defend it, made a cruel use of his victory 



429 

He cut down their sacred groves, demolished their 
temples and altars, and burnt many of the Druids in 
the fires they themselves kindled for sacrificing the 
Roman prisoners, had the Britons gained the victory. 
So great Were the numbers who perished on this occa- 
sion, and in the unfortunate revolt of the Britons under 
Boadicea, which happened immediately after, that the 
Druids never after made any considerable figure. The 
Britons, however, clung long to their ancient supersti- 
tions ; and so late as the eleventh century, Canute 
found it necessary to make the following law against 
them : — " We strictly charge and forbid all our subjects 
to worship the gods of the Gentiles ; that is to say, the 
sun, moon, fires, rivers, fountains, hills or trees, or 
woods of any kinds." 



Alban, the first British Martyr. 

Alban, from whom St. Alban's, in Hertfordshire, re- 
ceived its name, was the first British martyr. He was 
originally a pagan, and being of a very humane dispo- 
tion, he sheltered a Christian ecclesiastic, named Am- 
phibalus, who was pursued on account of his religion. 
The pious example, and edifying discourses of the refu- 
gee, made a great impression on the mind of Alban ; he 
longed to become a professor of a religion which charmed 
him ; the fugitive minister, happy in the opportunity, 
took great pains to instruct him ; and, before his disco- 
very, perfected Alban's conversion. 

Alban now took a firm resolution to preserve the 
sentiments of a Christian, or to die the death of a mar- 
tyr. The enemies of Amphibalus, having intelligence 
of the place where he was secreted, came to the house 
of Alban, in order to apprehend him. The noble host, 
desirous of protecting his guest, changed clothes with 
him, in order to facilitate his escape ; and, when the 
soldiers came, offered himself up as the person whom 
they were seeking. Being accordingly carried before 
the governor, the deceit was immediately discovered ; 
and Amphibalus being absent, that officer determined 



430 

to wreak his vengeance upon Alban ; with this view 
he commanded the prisoner to advance to the altar and 
sacrifice to the pagan deities. The brave Alban, how- 
ever, refused to comply with the idolatrous injunction, 
and boldly professed himself to be a Christian. The 
governor, therefore, ordered him to be scourged, which 
punishment he bore with great fortitude, seeming to ac- 
quire new resolution from his sufferings ; he was then 
beheaded. 

The venerable Bede states, that upon this occasion 
the executioner suddenly became a convert to Chris- 
tianity, and entreated permission either to die for Alban 
or with him. Obtaining the latter request, they were 
beheaded by a soldier, who voluntarily undertook the 
task. This happened on the 22d of June, A. D. 287, at 
Verulam, now St. Alban's, in Hertfordshire, where a 
magnificent church was erected to his memory, about 
the time of Constantine the Great. This edifice was 
destroyed in the Saxon wars, but was rebuilt by OfFa, 
king of Mercia, and a monastery erected adjoining to it, 
some remains of which are still visible. 



Martyrdom of Maximilian, in the fourth 
Century. 

About the fourth century, many Christians, upon ma- 
ture consideration, thought it unlawful to bear arms un- 
der a heathen emperor. Their reasons were : 

1st. They thereby were frequently under the neces- 
sity of profaning the Christian Sabbath. 2d. That they 
were obliged, with the rest of the army, frequently to 
be present at idolatrous sacrifices, before the temples of 
idols. 3d. That they were compelled to follow the 
imperial standards, which were dedicated to heathen 
deities, and bore their representations. Such reasons 
induced many to refuse to enter into the imperial army, 
when called upon so to do ; for the Roman constitution 
obliged all young men, of a certain stature, to make 
several campaigns. 



431 

Maximilian, the son of Fabius Victor, being pointed 
out as a proper person to bear arms, was ordered by 
Dion, the proconsul, to be measured, that he might be 
enlisted in the service. Maximilian, however, boldly 
declared himself a Christian, and refused to do military 
duty. Being found of the proper height, Dion gave 
directions that he should be marked as a soldier, ac- 
cording to the usual custom. He, however, strenuous- 
ly opposed this order, and told Dion that he could not 
possibly engage in the service. The proconsul in- 
stantly replied, that he should serve either as a soldier, 
or die for disobedience. " Do as you please with me," 
replied Maximilian ; " behead me if you think proper ; 
I am already a soldier of Christ, and cannot serve any 
other power." 

Dion wishing, however, to save the young man, 
commanded his father to use his authority over him, in 
order to persuade him to comply ; but Victor coolly re- 
plied, " My son knoweth best what he has to do." 
Dion again demanded of Maximilian, with some acri- 
mony* if he was yet disposed to receive the mark ? To 
which the young man replied, he had already received 
the mark of Christ. " Have you !" exclaimed the pro- 
consul in a rage, " then I shall quickly send you to 
Christ." — " As soon as you please," answered Maxi- 
milian ; " that is all I wish or desire." The procon- 
sul then pronounced this sentence upon him : — " That 
for disobedience in refusing to bear arms, and for pro- 
fessing the Christian faith, he should lose his head." 
This sentence he heard with great intrepidity, and ex- 
claimed, with apparent rapture, " God be praised." 

At the place of execution, he exhorted those who 
were Christians to remain so, and such as were not, to 
embrace a faith which led to eternal salvation. Then, 
addressing his father with a cheerful countenance, he 
desired that the military habit intended for him might 
be given to the executioner ; and after taking leave of 
him, said, he hoped they should meet again in the other 
world, and be happy to all eternity. He then received 
the fatal stroke, which separated his head from his 



432 

body. The father beheld the execution with amazing 
fortitude, and saw the head of his son severed from his 
body, without any emotions but such as seemed to pro- 
ceed from a conscious pleasure, in being the parent of 
one whose piety and courage rendered him so great an 
example for Christians to imitate. 



Noble Fortitude and Martyrdom of three 
Christian Friends. 

While Maximus, governor of Cilicia, was at Tarsus, 
three Christians were brought before him by Demetrius, 
a military officer. Tarachus, the eldest, and first in 
rank, was addressed by Maximus, who asked him what 
he was. The prisoner replied, " a Christian." This 
reply offending the governor, he again made the same 
demand, and was answered in a similar manner. Here- 
upon the governor told him, that he ought to sacrifice 
to the gods, as that was the only way to promotion, 
riches, and honours ; and that the emperors themselves 
did what he recommended to him to perform. But Ta- 
rachus replied, that avarice was a sin, and gold itself 
an idol as abominable as any other ; for it promoted 
frauds, treacheries, robberies, and murders ; it induced 
men to deceive each other, by which in time they de- 
ceived themselves ; and it bribed the weak to their own 
eternal destruction. As for promotion, he desired it 
not, as he could not in conscience accept of any place 
which would subject him to pay adoration to idols ; 
and with regard to honours, he desired none greater 
than the honourable title of Christian. As to the em- 
perors themselves being pagans, he added, with the 
same undaunted and determined spirit, that they were 
superstitiously deceived in adoring senseless idols, and 
evidently misled by the machinations of the devil him- 
self. For the boldness of this speech, his jaws were 
ordered to be broken. He was then stripped, scourged, 
loaded with chains, and thrown into a dismal dungeon, 
to remain there till after the trials of the other two 
prisoners. Probus was then brought before Maximus, 



433 

who as usual asked him his name. Undauntedly he 
replied, the most valuable name he could boast of was 
that of a Christian. To this Maximus replied in the 
following words : — " Your name of a Christian will be 
of little service to you ; be therefore guided by me ; 
sacrifice to the gods, engage my friendship, and the 
friendship of the emperor." Probus nobly answered, 
" that as he had relinquished a considerable fortune to 
become a soldier of Christ, it might appear evident that 
he neither cared for his friendship, nor the favour of the 
emperor." Probus was then scourged ; and Demetrius, 
the officer, reminding him how his blood flowed, ad- 
vised him to comply ; but his only answer was, that 
those severities were agreeable to him. " What !" 
cried Maximus, " does he still persist in his madness?" 
To which Probus rejoined, " That character is badly 
bestowed on one who refuses to worship idols, or what 
is worse, devils." After being scourged on the back, 
he was scourged on the belly, which he suffered with 
as much intrepidity as before ; still repeating, " the 
more my body suffers and loses blood, the more my 
soul will grow vigorous, and be a gainer." He was 
then committed to jail, loaded with irons, and his 
hands and feet stretched upon the stocks. Andronicus 
was next brought up, when, being asked the usual ques- 
tion, he said, " I am a Christian, a native of Ephesus, 
and descended from one of the first families in that 
city." He was ordered to undergo punishments simi- 
lar to those of Tarachus and Probus, and then to be re- 
manded to prison. 

Having been confined some days, the three prison- 
ers were again brought before Maximus, who began 
first to reason with Tarachus, saying that as old age 
was honoured from the supposition of its being accom- 
panied by wisdom, he was in hopes what had already 
passed must, upon deliberation, have caused a change 
in his sentiments. Finding himself, however, mista- 
ken, he ordered him to be tortured by various means ; 
particularly, fire was placed in the hollow of his hands ; 
he was hung up by his feet, and smoked with wet 



434 

straw ; and a mixture of salt and vinegar was poured 
into his nostrils ; and he was then again remanded to 
his dungeon. Probus being again called, and asked if 
he would sacrifice, replied, " I come better prepared 
than before ; for what I have already suffered has 
only confirmed and strengthened me in my resolution. 
Employ your whole power upon me, and you will find, 
that neither you, nor your masters, the emperors, nor 
the gods whom you serve, nor the devil who is your 
father, shall oblige me to adore the gods whom I know 
not." The governor, however, attempting to reason 
with him, paid the most extravagant praises to the 
pagan deities, and pressed him to sacrifice to Jupiter ; 
but Probus turned his casuistry into ridicule, and said, 
"Shall I pay divine honours to Jupiter; to one who 
married his own sister ; to an infamous debauchee ; as 
he is acknowledged to have been by your own priests 
and poets V Provoked at this speech, the governor 
ordered him to be struck upon the mouth, for uttering 
what he called blasphemy ; his body was then seared 
with hot irons, he was put to the rack, and afterwards 
scourged ; his head was then shaved, and red-hot coals 
placed upon the crown ; and after all these tortures 
he was again sent to prison. When Andronicus was 
again brought before Maximus, the latter attempted to 
deceive him, by pretending that Tarachus and Probus 
had repented of their obstinacy, and owned the gods of 
the empire. To this the prisoner answered, " Lay 
not, O governor, such a weakness to the charge of 
those who have appeared here before me in this cause, 
nor imagine it to be in your power to shake my fixed 
resolution with artful speeches. I cannot believe that 
they have disobeyed the laws of their fathers, re- 
nounced their hopes in our God, and consented to your 
extravagant orders ; nor will I ever fall short of them in 
faith and dependence upon our common Saviour ; thus 
armed, I neither know your gods nor fear your autho- 
rity ; fulfil your threats, execute your most sanguinary 
inventions, and employ every cruel art in your power 
on me ; I am prepared to bear it for the sake of 



435 

Christ." For this answer he was cruelly scourged, 
and his wounds were afterwards rubbed with salt ; but 
being well again in a short time, the governor reproach- 
ed the jailer for having suffered some physician to at- 
tend him. The jailer declared that no person what- 
ever had been near him or any of the other prisoners 
and that he would willingly forfeit his head if any al 
legation of the kind could be proved against him. An- 
dronicus corroborated the testimony of the jailer, and 
added, that God, whom he served, was the most power- 
ful of physicians. These three Christians were finally 
brought to a third .examination, when they retained 
their constancy, were again tortured, and at length or- 
dered for execution. Being brought to the amphithe- 
atre, several beasts were let loose upon them ; but none 
of the animals, though hungry, would touch them. 
Maximus became so surprised and incensed at this cir- 
cumstance that he severely reprehended the keeper, 
and ordered him to produce a beast that would execute 
the business for which he was wanted. The keeper 
then brought out a large bear that had that day destroyed 
three men ; but this creature and a fierce lioness also 
refused to touch the Christians. Finding the design of 
destroying them by means of wild beasts ineffectual, 
Maximus ordered them to be slain by means of the 
sword, which was accordingly executed on the 11th of 
October, A. D. 303. They all declared, previous to 
their martyrdom, that as death was the common lot of 
all men, they wished to meet it for the sake of Christ ; 
and to resign that life to faith which must otherwise be 
the prey of disease. 



Vision of Constantine. 

The reign of Constantine the Great, the first Chris 
tian emperor, is an important era in the history of the 
Christian church. 

The miraculous circumstances attending his conver- 
sion, though doubted by some, are fully credited by 
others. According to Eusebius (who received the ac- 



436 

count from the emperor's own mouth, and who also 
confirmed it by his solemn oath) these extraordinary 
circumstances are as follows : 

" As the emperor was marching at the head of his 
army, from France into Italy, against Maxentius, on an 
expedition which he was fully aware involved in it his 
future destiny; oppressed with extreme anxiety, and 
reflecting that he needed a force superior to arms, for 
subduing the sorceries and magic of his adversary, he 
anxiously looked out for the aid of some deity, as that 
alone could secure him success. About 3 o'clock in 
the afternoon, when the sun began to decline, whilst 
praying for supernatural aid, a luminous cross* was 
seen by the emperor and his army, in the air, above the 
sun, inscribed with the words, " BY THIS CON- 
QUER;" at the sight of which amazement overpow- 
ered both himself and the soldiery on the expedition 
with him. He continued to ponder on the event till 
night, when, in a dream, the Author of Christianity ap- 
peared to him to confirm the vision, directing him, at the 
same time, to make the symbol of the cross his military 
ensign. "f 

Constantine, having vanquished his adversary, now 
built places for Christian worship, and showed great 
beneficence to the poor. He removed the seat of the 
empire from Rome to Byzantium, which he afterwards 
honoured by the name of Constantinople, and prohibited, 
by a severe edict, the performance of pagan rites and 
ceremonies. 

He died on the 22d of May, in the year 337, at the 
age of sixty-four, after a reign of thirty-three years, 
having fully established the Christian religion in the 
Roman empire. 

* Historians are much divided in their judgment respecting this 
miraculous appearance. It is in vain for us to attempt to ascer- 
tain a doubtful matter, at a period so remote from the event ; it is 
certain, however, that such a device was upon the standards and 
shields of Constantine's army, and also upon several coins in ex- 
istence at this day. 

j Milner's Church History. 



43' 




Conversion of Justin Martyr. 

This great man was born at Neapolis, in Samaria, 
anciently called Sichem. His father was a Gentile 
(probably one of the Greeks belonging to the colony 
transplanted tiiither), who gave his son a philosophical 
education. In his youth he travelled for the improve- 
ment of his understanding ; and Alexandria afforded 
him all the entertainment which an inquisitive mind 
could derive from the fashionable studies. The Stoics 
appeared to him, at first, the masters of happiness. He 
gave himself up to one of this sect, till he found he 



438 

could learn nothing from him of the nature of God. It 
is remarkable (as he. tells us himself), that his tutor 
told him that this was a knowledge by no means ne- 
cessary ; which much illustrates the views of Dr. 
Warburton concerning these ancient philosophers — 
that they were atheists in reality. He next betook 
himself to a Peripatetic, whose anxious desire of set- 
tling the price of instruction convinced Justin that truth 
did not dwell with him. A Pythagorean next engaged 
his attention, who, requiring of him the previous know- 
ledge of music, astronomy, and geometry, dismissed 
him for the present, when he understood he was 
unfurnished with those studies. In much solicitude, 
he applied himself to a Platonic philosopher, with a 
more plausible appearance of success than from any of 
the foregoing. He now gave himself to retirement. 
As he was walking near the sea, he was met by an aged 
person, of a venerable appearance, whom he beheld 
with much attention. " Do you know me ?" says he : 
when he answered in the negative, he asked why he 
surveyed him with so much attention ? " I wondered," 
says he, "to find any person here." The stranger ob- 
served, that he was waiting for some domestics. " But 
what brought you here ?" says he. Justin professed 
his love of private meditation ; the other hinted at the 
absurdity of mere speculation abstracted from practice ; 
which gave occasion to Justin to express his ardent de- 
sire of knowing God, and to expatiate on the praise of 
philosophy. The stranger, by degrees, endeavoured to 
cure him of his ignorant admiration of Plato - and Py- 
thagoras, and to point out to him the writings of the 
Hebrew prophets, as being much more ancient than 
any of those called philosophers ; and led him to some 
view of Christianity in its nature and its evidences, add- 
ing, "Above all things, pray that the gates of light may 
be opened unto thee ; for they are not discernible, nor 
to be understood by all, except God and his Christ give 
to a man to understand." The man having spoken 
these things, and much more, "left me (says Justin), 
directing me to pursue these things, and I saw him no 



439 

more. Immediately a fire was kindled in my soul, and 
I had a strong affection for the prophets, and those 
men who are the friends of Christ ; and weighing with- 
in myself his words, I found this to be the only sure 
philosophy." We have no more particulars of the ex- 
ercises of his soul in religion. His conversion took 
place from hence, sometime in the reign of Adrian. 
But he has shown us enough to make it evident, that 
conversion was then looked on as an inward spiritual 
work upon the soul, and that he had the substance of 
the same work of grace which the Spirit operates at 
this day on real Christians. — Milner's Church History, 



Religion of the Goths, or Scandinavians. 

Goths is the name generally given to those nations 
in the northern part of Europe who directed their arms 
against the Roman empire, and finally, under Alaric, 
one of their most celebrated kings, plundered Rome, 
A. D. 401, and introduced disorders, anarchy, and revo- 
lutions, in the west of Europe. The Goths came from 
Scandinavia, a name generally given by the ancients to 
the tract of territory which contains the modern king- 
doms of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, &c. 

The theology of the Scandinavians or Goths was 
most intimately connected with their manners. They 
held three great principles, or fundamental doctrines 
of religion : — " To serve the Supreme Being with 
prayer and sacrifice ; to do no wrong or unjust action ; 
and to be intrepid in fight." These principles are the 
key to the Edda, or sacred book of the Scandinavians, 
which, though it contains the substance of a very an- 
cient religion, is not itself a work of high antiquity, be- 
ing compiled in the thirteenth century by Snorro Sturl- 
son, supreme judge of Iceland. Odin, characterized 
as the terrible and severe God, the Father of carnage, 
the avenger, was the principal deity of the Scandi- 
navians ; from whose union with Frea, the heavenly 



440 

mother, sprung various subordinate divinities ; as Thor^ 
who perpetually wars against Loke and his evil giants, 
who envy the power of Odin, and seek to destroy his 
works. Among the inferior deities were the virgins 
of the Valhalli, whose office was to administer to the 
heroes in paradise. The timid wretch who allowed 
himself to perish by disease or age was unworthy the 
joys of paradise. These joys were fighting, ceaseless 
slaughter, and drinking beer out of the skulls of their 
enemies, with a renovation of life to furnish a per- 
petuity of the same pleasures. The favourites of Odin 
were all who die in battle, or, what was equally meri- 
torious, by their own hand. 

As the Scandinavians believed this world to be the 
work of some superior intelligences, so they held all 
nature to be constantly under the regulation of an Al- 
mighty will and power, and subject to a fixed and un- 
alterable destiny. These notions had a wonderful effect 
on the national manners, and on the conduct of indi- 
viduals. The Scandinavian placed his sole delight in 
war; he entertained an absolute contempt of danger and 
of death, and his glory was estimated by the number 
he had slain in battle.* The death-song of JRegner 
Lodbrok, king of Denmark, who fell into the hands of 
his enemies, was thrown into prison, and by them con- 
demned to be destroyed by serpents, is a faithful pic- 
ture of the Scandinavian character. The following is 
an exact translation of a part of his song : — 

"We have fought with our swords. I was young, when, to- 
wards the east, in the bay of Oreon, we made torrents of blood 
flow, to gorge the ravenous beast of prey, and the yellow footed 
bird. There resounded the bared steel upon the lofty helmets of 
men. The whole ocean was one wound. The crow waded in 
the blood of the slain. When we had numbered twenty years, 
we lifted our spears on high, and every where spread our renown. 
Eight barons we overcame in the east, before the port of Diminum ; 
and plentifully we feasted the eagle in that slaughter. The warm 
stream of wounds ran into the ocean. The army fell before us. 
When we steered our ships into the mouth of the Vistula, we 

* Tytler's History. 



441 

sent the Helsingians to the hall of Odin. Then did the sword 
bite. The waters were all one wound. The earth was dyed red 
with the warm stream. The swords rung upon the coats of mail, 
and clove the bucklers in twain. None fled on that day, till 
among his ships Herandus fell. Than him no braver baron cleaves 
the sea with ships ; a cheerful heart did he ever bring to the 
combat. Then the host threw away their shields, when the up- 
lifted spear flew at the breasts of heroes. The sword bit the Scar- 
flan rocks ; bloody was the shield in battle, until Rafuo the king 
was slain. From the heads of warriors the warm sweat streamed 
down their armour. The crows around the Indirian islands had 
an ample prey. It were difficult to single out one among so many 
deaths. At the rising of the sun I beheld the spears piercing the 
bodies of foes, and the bows throwing forth their steel-pointed ar- 
rows. Loud roared the swords in the plains of Lano. The vir- 
gin long bewailed the slaughter of that morning." 

He thus laments the death of one of his sons in bat- 
tle :— 

" When Rogvaldus was slain, for him mourned all the hawks 
of heaven," as lamenting a benefactor who had so liberally sup- 
plied them with prey ; " for boldly," as he adds, " in the strife of 
swords, did the breaker of helmets throw the spear of blood." 

The poem concludes with sentiments of the highest 
bravery and contempt of death. 

" What is more certain to the brave man than death, though 
amidst the storm of words, he stands always ready to oppose it 1 
He, only, regretteth life, who hath never known distress. The 
timorous man allures the devouring eagle to the field of battle. 
The coward, whenever he comes, is useless to himself. This I 
esteem honourable, that the youth should advance to the combat 
fairly matched one against another ; nor man retreat from man. 
Long was this the warrior's highest glory. He who aspires tp 
the love of virgins ought always to be foremost in the war of 
arms. It appears to me of truth, that we are led by the Fates. 
Seldom can any overcome the appointment of destiny. Little did 
I foresee that Ella* was to have my life in his hands, in that day 
when, fainting, I concealed my blood, and pushed forth my ships 
into the waves, after we had spread a repast for the beasts of prey 
throughout the Scottish bays, But this makes me always rejoice, 
that in the halls of our father Balder (or Odin) I know there are 
seats prepared, where in a short time, we shall be drinking ale 
out of the hollow skulls of our enemies. In the house of the 

* This was the name of his enemy who had condemned him 
to death. 



442 

mighty Odin, no brave man laments death. I come not with the 
voice of despair to Odin's hall. How eagerly would all the sons 
of Aslauga now rush to war, did they know the distress of their 
father, whom a multitude of venomous serpents tear 1 I have 
given to my children a mother who hath rilled their hearts with 
valour. I am fast approaching to my end. A cruel death awaits 
me from the viper's bite. A snake dwells in the midst of my 
heart. I hope that the sword of some of my sons shall yet be 
stained with the blood of Ella. The valiant youths will wax red 
with anger, and will not sit in peace. Fifty and one times have I 
reared the standard in battle. In my youth, I learned to dye the 
sword in blood ; my hope was then, that no king among men 
would be more renowned than me. The goddesses of death will 
now soon call me ; I must not mourn my death. Now I end my 
song. The goddesses invite me away ; they whom Odin has sent 
to me from his hall. I will sit upon a lofty seat, and drink ale 
joyfully with the goddesses of death. The hours of my life are 
run out. I will smile when I die." 



Taking of Rome by Alaric, King of the Goths. 

In the year 401, the imperial city of Rome was be- 
sieged and taken by Alaric, king of the Goths, who de- 
livered it over to the licentious fury of his army. A 
scene of horror ensued, scarcely paralleled in the his- 
tory of war. The plunder of the city was accom- 
plished in six days ; the streets were deluged with the 
blood of murdered citizens, and some of the noblest 
edifices were razed to their foundation. 

The city of Rome was at this time an object of ad- 
miration. Its inhabitants were estimated at twelve 
hundred thousand. Its houses were but little short of 
fifty thousand ; seventeen hundred and eighty of which 
were similar in grandeur and extent to the palaces 
of princes. Every thing bespoke wealth and luxury. 
The market, the race-courses, the temples, the foun- 
tains, the porticos, the shady groves, unitedly com- 
bined to add surpassing splendour to the spot. 

Two years before the surrender of the city, Alaric 
had laid siege to it, and had received from the proud 
and insolent Romans, as a price of his retreat from the 
walls, five thousand pounds of gold, thirty thousand 



443 

pounds of silver, and an incredible quantity of other 
valuable articles. 

In the following year, he again appeared before the 
idty ; and now took possession of the port of Ostia, 
one of the boldest and most stupendous works of Ro- 
man magnificence. He had demanded the surrender 
of the city, and was only prevented from razing it to 
its foundation by the consent of the senate to remove 
the unworthy Honorius from the throne of the Csesars, 
and to place Attalus, the tool of the Gothic conqueror, 
in his place. 

But the doom of the city was not far distant. In 
410, Alaric again appeared under the walls of the capi- 
tal. Through the treachery of the Roman guard, one 
of the gates was silently opened, and the inhabitants 
were awakened, at midnight, by the tremendous sound 
of the Gothic trumpet. Alaric and his bands entered 
in triumph, and spread desolation through the streets. 
Thus this proud city, which had subdued a great part 
of the world ; which, during a period of 619 years, had 
never been violated by the presence of a foreign enemy ; 
was itself called to surrender to the arms of a rude and 
revengeful Goth, who was well entitled the Destroyer 
of Nations, and the Scourge of God! 

From this period, the barbarians continued their 
ravages until 476, which is commonly assigned as 
making the total extinction of the western part of the 
Roman empire. 

Although the barbarians were idolaters, yet upon the 
conquest of the Roman empire, they generally, though 
at different periods, conformed themselves to the reli- 
gious institutions of the nations among whom they set- 
tled. They unanimously agreed to support the hier- 
archy of the church of Rome, and to defend and main- 
tain it as the established religion of their respective 
states. They generally adopted the Arian system, and 
hence the advocates of the Nicene creed met with bit- 
ter persecution. — Goodrich's Ecclesiastical History, 



444 




Mahomet, the Arabian Impostor. 
Mahomet was born at Mecca, a city in Arabia, near 
the Red Sea, A. D. 569. Possessing but a scanty edu- 
cation, but of great natural talents, he sought to raise 
himself to celebrity by feigning a divine mission, to 
propagate a new religion for the salvation of mankind. 
Early in life he was instructed in the business of a mer- 
chant, and employed by a rich widow of the name of 
Hadijah, as a factor. Into her favour he so effectually 
insinuated himself, as to obtain her in marriage. By 
this event, he became possessed of considerable wealth 
and power, and continued in the mercantile occupation 
for several years. About the thirty-eighth year of his 



445 

age he retired to the desert, and pretended to hold con- 
ferences with the angel Gabriel, who delivered to him, 
from time to time, portions of the Koran (the sacred 
book of the Mahometans), containing revelations from 
God, with the doctrines which he required his prophet 
(Mahomet) to communicate to the world. 

His first converts were his wife, his servant, his 
pupil, and his friend. In process of time some of the 
citizens of Mecca were introduced to the private lessons 
of the prophet ; they yielded to the voice of enthu- 
siasm, and repeated the fundamental creed, " There is 
but one God, and Mahomet is his prophet." 

Being opposed in propagating his doctrines, he was 
obliged to flee. His flight, called the Hegira (A.D. 
622), is the era of his glory. He betook himself to 
Medina, was joined by the brave Omar, and thence 
commenced propagating his religion by the sword. 
He divided his spoil among his followers, and from all 
sides the roving Arabs were allured to the standard of 
religion and plunder ; the prophet sanctioned the li- 
cense of embracing the female captives as their wives 
or concubines, and the enjoyment of wealth and beauty 
was the type of Paradise. "The sword," says Ma- 
homet, " is the key of heaven and hell ; a drop of 
blood shed in the cause of God, a night spent in arms, 
is of more avail than two months of fasting and prayer ; 
whoever falls in battle, his sins are forgiven ; at the 
day of judgment his wounds shall be resplendent as 
vermilion, and odoriferous as musk ; and the loss of 
his limbs shall be supplied by the wings of angels and 
cherubim." 

In a few years, Mahomet subdued all Arabia and a 
part of Syria. In the midst of his victories, he died at 
the age of 63, A. D. 632, being poisoned, as it was sup- 
posed, by a Jewish female. He was buried on the 
spot where he expired, but his remains were afterwards 
removed to Medina, whither innumerable pilgrims to 
Mecca often turn aside to bow in devotion before the 
humble tomb of their prophet. His successors ex- 
tended their conquests and religion till their empire was 



446 

widely extended in many countries of the east ; and in 
the eighth century threatened the conquest of Europe, 
and the extermination of Christianity. 



An Account of the Koran. 

The Koran or Alcoran, the sacred book of the Ma- 
hometans, contains the revelations and doctrines of 
their pretended prophet. 

The great doctrine of the Koran is the unity of God ; 
to restore which, Mahomet pretended was the chief 
end of his mission ; it being 1 laid down by him as a 
fundamental truth, that there never was, nor ever can 
be, more than one true orthodox religion ; that, though 
the particular laws or ceremonies are only temporary, 
and subject to alteration according to the divine direc- 
tion, yet the substance of it, being eternal truth, is not 
liable to change, but continues immutably the same ; 
and that, whenever this religion became neglected or 
corrupted in essential, God had the goodness to re- 
inform and readmonish mankind thereof, by several 
prophets, of whom Moses and Jesus were the most 
distinguished, till the appearance of Mahomet, who is 
their seal, and no other to be expected after him. The 
more effectually to engage people to hearken to him, 
a great part of the Koran is employed in relating ex- 
amples of dreadful punishments, formerly inflicted by 
God on those who rejected and abused his messengers ; 
several of which stories, or some circumstances of 
them, are taken from the Old and New Testaments, 
but many more from the apocryphal books and tradi- 
tions of the Jews and Christians of those ages, set up 
in their Koran as truths, in opposition to the Scrip- 
tures, which the Jews and Christians are charged with 
having altered ; and, indeed, few or none of the rela 
tions of circumstances in the Koran were invented by 
Mahomet, as is generally supposed ; it being easy to 
trace the greatest part of them much higher, as the rest 
might be, were more of these books extant, and were 
it worth while to make the inquiry. The rest of the 



447 

Alcoran is taken up in prescribing necessary laws and 
directions, frequent admonitions to moral and divine 
virtues, the worship and reverence of the Supreme Be- 
ing, and resignation to his will. There are also a great 
number of occasional passages in the Alcoran, relating 
only to particular emergencies. For, by his piecemeal 
method of receiving and delivering his revelations, Ma 
hornet had this advantage — that, whenever he hap- 
pened to be perplexed with any thing, he had a cer- 
tain resource in some new morsel of revelation. It was 
an admirable contrivance to bring down the whole Al- 
coran only to the lowest heaven, not to earth ; since, 
had the whole been published at once, innumerable ob- 
jections would have been made, which it would have 
been impossible for him to have solved ; but as he re- 
ceived it by parcels, as God saw fit they should be pub- 
lished for the conversion and instruction of the people, 
he had a sure way to answer all emergencies, and ex- 
tricate himself with honour from any difficulty which 
might occur. 

It is the common opinion, that Mahomet, assisted by 
one Sergius, a monk, composed this book; but the 
Mussulmans believe, as an article of their faith, that the 
prophet, who, they say, was an illiterate man, had no 
concern in inditing it ; but that it was given him by 
God, who to that end made use of the ministry of the 
angel Gabriel ; that, however, it was communicated to 
him by little and little, a verse at a time, and in differ- 
ent places, during the course of twenty -three years. 
" And hence," say they, "proceed that disorder and 
confusion visible in the work ;" which, in truth, are so 
great, that all their doctors have never been able to ad- 
just them ; for Mahomet, or rather his copyist, having 
put all the loose verses promiscuously in a book toge- 
ther, it was impossible ever to retrieve the order wherein 
they were delivered. These twenty-three years which 
the angel employed in conveying the Alcoran to Ma- 
homet, are of wonderful service to his folio ivers ; in- 
asmuch as they furnish them with an answer to such 
as charge them with those glaring contradictions of 



448 

which the book is full, and whicn they piously fa- 
ther upon God himself ; alleging that, in the course 
of so long a time, he repealed and altered several doc- 
trines and precepts which the prophet had before re- 
ceived of him. 

The Alcoran, while Mahomet lived, was kept only 
in loose sheets. His successor, Abubeker, first col- 
lected them into a volume, and committed the keeping 
of it to Haphsa, the widow of Mahomet, in order to be 
consulted as an original ; and there being a good deal 
of diversity between the several copies already dispers- 
ed throughout the provinces, Ottoman, successor of 
Abubeker, procured a great number of copies to be 
taken from that of Haphsa, at the same time suppressing 
all the others not conformable to the original. 

The Mahometans have a positive theology built on 
the Alcoran and tradition, as well as a scholastical one 
built on reason. They have likewise their casuists, 
and a kind of canon law, wherein they distinguish be- 
tween what is of divine and what of positive right. 
They have their beneficiaries, too ; chaplains, almoners, 
and canons, who read a chapter every day, out of the 
Alcoran, in their mosques, and have prebends annexed 
to their office. The hatif of the mosque is what we call 
the parson of the parish ; and the scheiks are the preach- 
ers, who take their texts out of the Alcoran. 

It is of general belief among the Mahometans, that the 
Koran is of divine origin ; nay, that it is eternal and 
uncreated ; remaining, as some express it, in the very 
essence of God ; and the first transcript has been from 
everlasting, near God's throne, written on a table ot 
vast bigness, called the preserved table, in which are 
also recorded the divine decrees, past and future ; that 
a copy from this table, in one volume upon paper, was, 
by the ministry of the angel Gabriel, sent down to the 
lowest heaven, in the month of Ramadan, on the night 
of power, from whence Gabriel revealed it to Mahomet 
in parcels, some at Mecca, and some at Medina, at dif- 
ferent times, during the space of twenty-three years, as 
the exigency of affairs required; giving him, however 



449 

the consolation to show him the whole (which they tell 
us was bound in silk, and adorned with gold and pre- 
cious stones of paradise) once a year ; but in the last 
year of his life he had the favour to see it twice. They 
say, that only ten chapters were delivered entire, the 
rest being revealed piecemeal, and written down from 
time to time by the prophet's amanuensis, in such a part 
of such and such a chapter, till they were completed, 
according to the directions of the angel. The first par- 
cel that was revealed is generally agreed to have been 
the first five verses of the ninety-sixth chapter. In fine, 
the book of the Alcoran is held in the highest esteem 
and reverence among the Mussulmans. They dare not 
so much as touch the Alcoran without being first washed, 
or legally purified ; to insure which, an inscription is 
put on the cover or label — Let none touch but they who 
are clean. It is read with great care and respect, being 
never held below the girdle. They swear by it ; take 
omens from it on all weighty occasions ; carry it with 
them to war ; write sentences of it on their banners ; 
adorn it with precious stones ; and will not knowingly 
suffer it to be in the possession of any of a different 
religion. 

The following is the Mahometans' belief respecting 
the destination of the righteous and wicked after death. 
They hold that both these characters must first pass the 
bridge called in Arabic M Sir at, which, they say, is 
laid over the midst of hell, and described to be finer than 
a hair, and sharper than the edge of a sword ; so that it 
seems very difficult to conceive how any one shall be 
able to stand upon it. For this reason, most of the sect 
of the Motazalites reject it as a fable ; though the ortho- 
dox think it a sufficient proof of the truth of this article, 
that it was seriously affirmed by him who never asserted 
a falsehood, meaning their prophet ; who, to add to the 
difficulty of the passage, has likewise declared, that this 
bridge is beset on each side with briers and hooked 
thorns, which will, however, be no impediment to the 
good ; for they shall pass with wonderful ease and 
swiftness, like lightning, or the wind, Mahomet and his 



450 

Moslems leading the way ; whereas the wicked, in 
consequence of the slipperiness and extreme narrow- 
ness of the path, the entangling of the thorns, and 
the extinction of the light which directed the former 
to paradise, will soon miss their footing, and fall 
down headlong into hell. — Buck's Diet. 



Massacre by the Saracens. 



" In the reign of Theophilus the Saracens ravaged 
many parts of the eastern empire, gained considerable 
advantages over the Christians, and at length laid siege 
to the city of Armorian. The garrison bravely defend- 
ed the place for a considerable time, and would have 
obliged their enemies to raise the siege, but the place 
was betrayed by a renegade Many were put to the 
sword ; and two general officers with some persons of 
distinction were carried prisoners to Bagdat, where they 
were loaded with chains and thrown into a dungeon. 
They continued in prison for some time without seeing 
any persons but their jailers, having scarcely food 
enough for their subsistence. At length they were in- 
formed that nothing could preserve their lives but re- 
nouncing their religion and embracing Mahometanism. 
To induce them to comply, the caliph pretended zeal 
for their welfare, and declared he looked upon converts 
in a more glorious light than conquests. Agreeably to 
these maxims, he sent some of the most artful of the 
Mahometans, with money and clothes, and the promise 
of other advantages that they might secure to themselves 
by an abjuration of Christianity ; which, according to 
the casuistry of the infidels, might be made without 
quitting their faith ; but the martyrs rejected the propo- 
sal with contempt. After this they were attacked with 
that fallacious and delusive argument which the Maho- 
metans still use in favour of themselves, and were de- 
sired to judge of the merits of the cause by the success 
of those engaged in it, and choose that religion which 



451 

they saw flourished most, and was best rewarded with 
the good things of this life, which they called the bless- 
ings of heaven. Yet the noble prisoners were proof 
against all these temptations, and argued strenuously 
against the authority of the false prophets. This in- 
censed the Mahometans, and drew greater hardships 
upon the Christians during their confinement, which 
lasted seven years. Boidizius, the renegado who had 
betrayed Armorian, then brought them the welcome 
news that their sufferings would conclude in martyr- 
dom next day. When taken from their dungeon they 
were again solicited to embrace the tenets of Mahomet ; 
but neither threats nor promises could induce them to 
espouse the doctrines of an impostor. Perceiving that 
their faith could not by any means be shaken, the caliph 
ordered them to be executed. Theodore, one of the 
number, had formerly received priest's orders, and of- 
ficiated as a clergyman ; but afterwards quitting the 
church, he had followed a military life, and raised him- 
self by the sword to some considerable posts, which 
he enjoyed at the time he was taken prisoner. The 
officer who attended the execution being apprized of 
these circumstances, said to Theodore, " You might, 
indeed, pretend to be ranked amongst the Christians 
while you served in their church as a priest ; but the 
profession you have taken up, which engages you in 
bloodshed, is so contrary to your former employment, 
that you should not now think of passing upon us for 
one of that religion. When you quitted the altar for 
the camp you renounced Jesus Christ. Why then 
will you dissemble any longer ? Would you not act 
more conformably to your own principles, and make 
your conduct all of a piece, if you came to a resolution 
of saving your life by owning our prophet ?" Theo 
dore, covered with religious confusion at this reproach, 
but still unshaken in his faith, made the following an- 
swer : " It is true," said he, " I did in some measure 
abandon my God when I engaged in the army, and 
scarce deserve the name of a Christian. But the Al- 
mighty has given me grace to see myself in a true 



452 

light, and made me sensible of my fault ; and I hope 
he will be pleased to accept my life as the only sa- 
crifice I now can offer to expiate my guilt." This 
pious answer confounded the officer, who only re- 
plied that he should presently have an opportunity 
of giving that proof of his fidelity to his master. 
Upon which Theodore and the rest, forty-two in 
number, were beheaded." — Forts 3£artyrs. 

This massacre by the Saracens took place in A. 
D. 845, in upper Phrygia. At this time the Sara- 
cens were extending their conquests in almost every 
quarter of the world. Their religion was professed 
over a great part of India, and all along the eastern 
and Mediterranean coast of Africa. The African 
Saracens invaded Italy. They laid siege to Rome, 
but were repulsed. 



Supremacy of the Pope of Rome. 

The Roman Catholics believe the pope of Rome is, 
under Christ, supreme pastor of the whole church, and 
has a power and jurisdiction over all Christians. He 
is called the successor of St. Peter, and is believed to 
be infallible, that is, he cannot err, when he addresses 
himself to the faithful on matters of doctrine, &c. The 
pope is believed by the protestants to be the Anti- 
christ, the Man of Sin, mentioned in 2 Thess. ii. and 
Rev. xiii. 

11 In ages of ignorance and credulity," says a cele- 
brated writer, " the ministers of religion are the objects 
of superstitious veneration. When the barbarians who 
overran the Roman empire first embraced the Christian 
faith, they found the clergy in possession of considera- 
ble power ; and they naturally transferred to those new 
guides the profound submission and reverence which 
they were accustomed to give to the priests of the pa- 
gan religion which they had forsaken. 




HENRY IV. SEEKING ADMISSION TO POPE GREGORY. 

In Jan., A. D. 1077, Henry IVth, Emperor of Germany, having 
displeased Pope Gregory VHth, was compelled by that Pon- 
tiff to do penance three days, in sackcloth, barefoot, and fast- 
ing, at the entrance of his residence at a fortress on the Ap- 
ennines, before he would grant him absolution,, 



454 

It was about the year 606 that pope Boniface III., by 
flattering Phocas, the emperor of Constantinople, one 
of the worst of tyrants, procured for himself the title 
of Universal Bishop. From this time he was raised 
above all others, and his supremacy was by imperial 
authority : it was now also that the most profound ig- 
norance, debauchery, and superstition reigned. From 
this time, the popes exerted all their power in promo- 
ting the idolatrous worship of images, saints, relics, 
and angels. They now took the most blasphemous 
titles, such as Christ's Vicegerent, His Holiness, Prince 
over all Nations and Kingdoms, King of Kings and 
Lord of Lords, The Lord God the Pope, fyc. 

About the year 751, the pope began to establish him- 
self as a temporal prince, and to dethrone kings, and 
put others in their places. Henry IV., emperor of 
Germany, having displeased pope Gregory VII., the 
Roman pontiff summoned a council, and passed the 
following sentence upon him : — " In the name of Al- 
mighty God, and by your authority," said Gregory, 
addressing the members of the council, " I prohibit 
Henry from governing the Teutonic kingdom of Italy ; 
I release all Christians from their allegiance to him ; 
and I strictly forbid all persons to serve or attend him 
as king." 

When this sentence became known, the greater part 
of Henry's subjects cast off their allegiance, and ap- 
peared against him. Henry was humbled ; he came 
to the resolution of throwing himself at the feet of 
Gregory, in order to implore his absolution. The pon- 
tiff was at that time on a visit to the countess or dutch- 
ess Matilda, at Canosa, a fortress on the Appenines. 
At the gate of this mansion the emperor presented 
himself as a humble penitent. He alone was admitted 
within the outer court, where being stripped of his 
robes, and wrapped in sackcloth, he was compelled to 
remain three days, in the month of January, A. D. 
1077, barefoot and fasting, before he was permitted to 
kiss the feet of his holiness. 



455 

The Albigenses. 

At the time of the establishment of the Inquisi- 
tion, the county of Toulouse abounded with a set 
of people called Albigenses, who were a branch of 
the Waldenses. As these people were strongly op- 
posed to the papal supremacy, strong measures 
were adopted to subdue them to the catholic faith, 
or to ensure their extirpation. In 1206, the Inqui- 
sition was established here, and from that year to 
1228, was constantly at work. A large army was 
raised, who carried fire and sword to the devoted 
Albigenses. It is stated that in this furious and 
bloody persecution and invasion, not less than one 
million of persons, including those of the invaders 
who were slain, perished in this period. 

Albi, an inconsiderable town in Languedoc, has had 
the honour of giving the name of Albigeois, or Albigen- 
ses, to the protestants of France, who were distinguish- 
ed in the thirteenth century by their determined oppo- 
sition to the usurpations of the pope ; but whose entire 
history occupies little more than half a century. 

It was at this place that a celebrated public confer- 
ence was held between the opponents and the adherents 
of the church of Rome. This conference was held in 
the year 1176, which gave the name of Albigenses to 
all such as avowed the principles then and there pub- 
licly advanced against the superstition and abuses of the 
Romanists. The conference at Albi was the prelude to 
the bloody drama which commenced at the beginning 
of the thirteenth century. The popish bishops, priests, 
and monks, who took part in that conference, finding 
that they could not persuade their adversaries to join in 
communion with themselves, tried to compel them, and 
began by ascribing false sentiments to the advocates of 
the cause against which they could not prevail in fair 
argument. They branded them with the name of Ari- 
ans and Manichees ; they preached against them in the 



456 

cities and villages, and charged them with atrocities of 
which they never were guilty. 

Raymond, Count of Thoulouse (and sovereign of 
the provinces where the doctrines propounded at Albi, 
and from thenceforward styled Albigensian, had long 
taken deep root), was solemnly invoked by the pope to 
exterminate the heretics by an armed force. But Ray- 
mond was too well convinced of the value which his 
state derived from the enterprising and industrious spi- 
rit of his nonconforming subjects, to comply with this 
demand. His refusal drew down fresh denunciations 
from the pope, and renewed charges of scandalous pro- 
ceedings against the protestants. To refute these slan 
ders the protestants consented to hold another meeting 
with the Romanists, at Montreal, in the year 1206. 
The same opinions were freely expressed as before at 
Albi, and soon afterwards a general crusade was preach- 
ed, not only against the impugners of the papal authority, 
but against all who should protect or refuse to destroy 
them. Count Raymond himself was involved in the 
edict of excommunication; and the term Albigenses 
was indiscriminately applied to all such of the natives 
of the south of France as had incurred the resentment 
of the Roman pontiff, either by questioning his infal- 
libility, or refusing to persecute those who question- 
ed it. 

The Romanists record, as meritorious deeds, instances 
of carnage and spoliation committed by their own peo- 
ple, and do not disguise that the forces opposed to the 
Albigenses massacred the inhabitants of whole towns 
and villages; that they twice put " sixty thousand" to 
the sword ; burnt " three hundred" in one castle, " and 
eighty in another." 

At the siege of Marmande, Prince Louis induced the 
inhabitants to deliver up the town upon his sacred pro- 
mise that their lives should be spared. But all the men, 
women, and children, five thousand in number, were 
massacred, in order that this human holocaust might 
bring God's blessing upon the arms of the crusaders. 
The slaughter was in direct opposition to the will of 



457 

Louis ; but the council of the bishop of Saintes pre* 
vailed. " My advice," said that prelate, "is that you 
immediately kill and burn all these people as heretics 
and apostates, and that none of them be left alive." 
Romish authors record this fact. 

The only enemy the Albigenses had was the Roman 
church, and when their legitimate prince, the count of 
Thoulouse, after being reproached for indulging pity 
for the heretics, and saving them from punishment, was 
solicited by the popish clergy to carry the sentence of 
the church into effect against them, he pleaded that 
" he could not and dare not undertake any thing against 
them." And why ? " Because," said he, " the majority 
of the lords, and the greatest part of the common peo- 
ple, have drunk the poison of their infidelity." The 
count was writing to the abbot of Cisteaux, and there- 
fore he spoke in language which that churchman would 
understand. 

In the celebrated conference at Albi, which gave name 
to the Albigenses, where the leaders of protestants were 
met face to face by their accusers, the burden of the 
lay which was echoed in full chorus against them, was 
" heresy" and " infidelity." No insurrection, no act 
of iniquity, was so much as mentioned in the impeach- 
ment. The Albigenses were condemned as heretics, 
excommunicated, and anathematized ; and all Christian 
powers, whether civil or ecclesiastical, were exhorted 
and commanded by the pope to exterminate a race of 
people whose principles (as the bull of extermination 
set forth) were subversive of all religion, natural and 
revealed, and of every moral tie. 

When Innocent III. found it was not enough to ex- 
communicate Raymond of Thoulouse, and to lay his 
territories under an interdict, he resorted to a measure 
which bigotry has ever found to be much more effect- 
ual than preaching or persuasion. He determined to 
hasten the work of conversion by fire and sword. For 
this purpose he first instituted the inquisition, and com- 
missioned the members of that execrable tribunal with 
full powers to search out and denounce as infidels de- 
20 



458 

serving of death, all such as should dispute the authority 
of the Roman see. He then enlisted the very worst 
passions of men in his service ; promised the pardon 
of sins, the property of the heretics, and the same pri- 
vileges which had been granted to those who fought 
against the Saracens in Palestine, to all who would 
" take the cross against the Albigenses." 

The prospect of absolution, of booty, of freedom 
from restraint, and the barbarous superstition of the 
times brought hordes of relentless savages upon the de- 
voted Albigenses ; and Simon de Montfort, by general 
consent, was put at the head of the crusaders. 

Chassineuil was one of the first places that fell before 
the invaders. It capitulated. The garrison was per- 
mitted to march out, but the inhabitants were left to the 
sentence of the pope's legate. He prono'unced them 
to be heretics, and all were committed to the flames. 
Beziers was attacked next. It relied upon the strength 
of its walls and the courage of its defenders ; but the 
multitude of assailants was such that " it appeared as 
if the whole world was encamped before it." The city 
was taken at the first assault, and some of the crusaders, 
thirsting after heretic blood only, desired the legate to 
take care and have a distinction made between the faith- 
ful and the unbelievers. "Kill all" said the pope's repre- 
sentative ; " the Lord will afterwards select those that 
are his" The sentence of death was fulfilled to the 
very letter, and all were slain. Of men, women, and 
children, not one was left alive, and the town was re- 
duced to ashes. 

The forces of de Montfort marched on in triumph to 
invest Carcassone. Strong intercession was made to 
the legate in favour of the young viscount, who was 
shut up with the citizens of Carcassone ; and the terms 
of mercy offered to him were, that he might quit the 
city with twelve others, upon condition of surrendering 
up the rest of the townsmen and soldiers to the pleasure 
of the besiegers. " Rather than comply with the de- 
mand of the legate," replied the heroic youth, " I would 
give myself to be flayed alive." The people of the city 



459 

afterwards escaped by a secret passage. The legate 
took possession of Carcassone " in the name of the 
church," and in malignant resentment at the thought of 
so many victims having escaped his fury, burnt or hang 
ed three hundred knights who had previously capitu- 
lated upon the guaranty of his solemn oath that they 
should not be put to death ! 

Levaur was one of the cities which made the most 
memorable defence. By their frequent sorties, their 
perseverance in repairing the breaches, and intrepid ex- 
posure of life upon the walls, the Albigenses showed 
upon this and all other occasions, a generous courage, 
which would have insured success to the cause if the 
ranks of their enemies had not been filled up by hosts, 
of new levies, as fast as they were thinned by the casu- 
alties of the war. In the year 1212 the army of the 
crusaders was four times renewed ; and so universally 
was it understood to be the quarrel of the church that 
ecclesiastical dignitaries came from all quarters to give 
a colour to the proceedings. A practicable breach was 
soon made in the walls, and a monkish historian relates 
that the bishops, the abbot of Courdieu, who exercised 
the functions of vice-legate, with all the priests, clothed 
in their sacred vestments, gave themselves up to thanks- 
giving when they saw the carnage beginning, and sung 
the hymn, Veni Creator. He mentions, also, that when 
the castle of Amery fell, eighty knights were taken and 
condemned to be hanged ; but as this process was too 
slow, an order was given to destroy them en masse ; 
that the order " was received by the pilgrims with avi- 
dity, and that they burnt the heretics alive, with great 

j°y" 

At length this horrible war ended as it began, by 
command of the sovereign pontiff, because all open re- 
sistance to his will was put down, and popish ascend- 
ancy was finally established in a quarter where the right 
of liberty of conscience had hitherto been claimed from 
the first introduction of the gospel. The church had 
gained her object by the total destruction of all who 
dared to oppose her. There remained no Albigenses 



460 

in the south of France bold enough to preach their 
doctrines, or administer their forms of worship. Some 
of the more fortunate had fled to other countries, where 
they preserved and kept alive the lamp of truth amidst 
the surrounding darkness. The extirpation was so 
complete that in less than thirty-three years from the 
beginning of the crusade, the Albigenses were no more ; 
and when protestantism reared its head again in Pro- 
vence and Languedoc, after an interval of three centu- 
ries, it was recognised under another name. 



Persecution of the Waldenses. 

In the darkest period in the history of the Christian 
church, there have ever been some who have borne 
their testimony in support of the pure doctrines of 
Christianity, and raised their voices against the general 
corruption of the church. 

The most distinguished of these reformers were the 
Waldenses, who made their appearance about the year 
1160. They were the most numerous about the valley 
of Piedmont. 

Peter Waldo, an opulent merchant of Lyons, in 
France, being extremely zealous for the advancement 
of true piety and Christian knowledge, caused a trans- 
lation of the four gospels, and other parts of the Holy 
Scriptures, to be made into the French language. Pe- 
rusing these books with deep attention, he perceived that 
the religion which was taught by the church of Rome 
was totally different from that which was taught by 
Christ and his apostles. Being animated with zeal for 
the truths of the gospel, he abandoned his mercantile 
vocation, distributed his riches among the poor, and 
forming an association with other pious men who had 
adopted his sentiments, he began in 1180, as a public 
teacher, to instruct the multitude in the doctrines and 
precepts of Christianity. 

The attempts of Peter Waldo and his followers were 
crowned with great success ; they formed religious as- 



461 

semblies, first in France, then in Lombardy, from 
whence they propagated their sect thorughout the other 
provinces of Europe with great rapidity, and with such 
invincible fortitude that neither fire nor sword, nor 
the most cruel inventions of merciless persecution, 
could damp their zeal, or entirely ruin their cause. 

The Roman pontiff and his ministers often instigated 
the civil rulers to exterminate or drive the Waldenses 
from their dominions. For this purpose, troops were 
sent against them many times, who plundered and de- 
stroyed their villages, and murdered many of the inof- 
fensive inhabitants. 

The persecution in 1655, 1656, and 1686 was car- 
ried on with peculiar rage and violence, and seemed to 
threaten nothing less than the total extinction of this un 
happy people. They were hunted like wild beasts upon 
the rocks and mountains, where they fled for safety. 
The banditti and soldiers of Piedmont massacred all 
sorts of persons, of every age, sex, and condition ; they 
were dismembered, and hung up ; females violated, and 
numerous other horrid atrocities committed. 

The few Waldenses that survived were indebted for 
their existence and support to the intercession made for 
them by the English and Dutch governments, and also 
by the Swiss cantons, who solicited the clemency of 
the duke of Savoy on their behalf. 

Milton, the poet, who lived at this time, touched with 
sympathy for the suffering of the Waldenses, penned 
the following exquisite sonnet : 

On the late Massacre in Piedmont* 

Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints, whose bones 
Lie scatter'd on the Alpine mountains cold ; 
E'en them who kept thy truth so pure of old, 
When all our fathers worshipp'd stocks and stones, 
Forget not ; in thy book record their groans 
Who were thy sheep, and in their ancient fold 
Slain by the bloody Piedmontese, that roll'd 
Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans 
The vales redoubled to hills, and they 
To heav'n, their martyr'd blood and ashes sow 



462 

O'er all the Italian fields, where still doth sway 
The tripled tyrant ; that from these may grow 
A hundred fold, who, having learned thy way, 
Early may fly the Babylonian wo. 




MASSACRE OF THE WALDENSES IN PIEDMONT, 

NORTHERN PART OF ITALY. 



463 

Recent historians state that the Waldenses, Van- 
dois, or people of the valleys, have existed for a 
long time under various names, as a distinct class 
of dissenters from the Greek and Roman Churches. 
The same great principles of attachment to the 
word of God, and the determined adherance to the 
simplicity of its doctrine, discipline, institutions, 
and worship, in opposition to the innovations of a 
secular spirit on the one hand, and of false philo- 
sophy, or pretended apostolic traditions on the 
other, maybe traced under the names of Novatians, 
Donatists, &c, from the third to the seventh cen- 
turies. They re-appear in the Paulicians from the 
seventh to the end of the ninth century, worthily 
sustaining by their preaching, their lives, and their 
martyrdoms, their claim of being the genuine de- 
scendants of the primitive churches. From Asia 
Minor they spread themselves into Europe. They 
were first discovered in France, in A. D. 1017. 



John Wickliffe, the first English Reformer. 

This famous man was bom in Yorkshire, in 1324. 
He was professor of divinity at Oxford for many 
years. England, at this time, was completely under 
the papal dominion. The pure gospel of Christ was 
almost wholly buried beneath the load of errors and 
deceits which the corruption, pride, and ignorance of 
the pope and Romish clergy had introduced. The 
country swarmed with the Mendicant orders ; who, 
invading the universities, attempted to persuade the 
students to join their fraternity. This state of things 
at length aroused the indignation of Wickliffe, who 
had for a long time been much concerned on its ac- 
c >unt ; and he commenced writing against the Mendi- 
cant orders, and even against the tyranny of the pope ; 
denying his power to be beyond that of any bishop, 
and asserting tnat the bread and wine used in the sa- 
crament was not tinned into the real body and blood of 



464 

Christ. He declared the gospel to be a sufficient rule 
of life, without any other ; that if a man was truly peni- 
tent towards God, it was sufficient, without making a 
confession to the priests ; that friars (an order in the 
Romish church, who supported themselves by begging) 
should labour for their support ; and that Christ never 
meant his word to be locked up in a learned language, 
which the poor could not understand ; but that it 
was to be read and understood by all classes of men. 
He therefore -translated the whole Bible into the Eng- 
lish language, and circulated it abroad ; which was 
read, and by it very many were made wise unto sal- 
vation. 

These new doctrines greatly enraged the bishops, 
monks, and priests ; who summoned him to appear be- 
fore them in St. Paul's church, London, to answer for 
his conduct. On the appointed day, he went, accom- 
panied by the duke of Lancaster, and others ; and it 
was with great difficulty they could gain an entrance, 
on account of the vast crowds that had assembled to 
hear the trial. Just as the trial commenced, a violent 
quarrel arose between the duke and bishop of London, 
as to whether Wickliffe should be permitted to sit 
down. One angry word led to another, till at length 
both parties became so furious, that a riot ensued, and 
the assembly broke up. By this means he escaped 
the malicious intentions of his enemies. In the mean 
time his followers increased greatly. Again he was 
apprehended; but so many persons interested them- 
selves in his favour, that he was released, with a charge 
to preach no more. This charge did not quench his 
zeal, or daunt him in the least. 

Some time after this, his enemies succeeded in 
having a law passed, the object of which was to im- 
prison him and his followers ; this was the beginning 
of a violent persecution, which was carried on against 
him without mercy. 

His latter days were spent in peace. He died at Lut- 
terworth, 1385. So great was the malice of his ene- 
mies, that forty years after his death, they dug up his 



465 

bones, burned them, and threw the ashes into the 
river. 

His doctrines, however, were not to be destroyed ; 
and all the combined efforts of his enemies could not 
crush his followers ; and although some were burnt, 
and others barbarously tortured and imprisoned, still 
others arose who bore decided testimony to the truth. 

He was the author of a great number of books, tracts, 
&c, some of which were dispersed into Germany 
and Bohemia, thus preparing the way for that glo- 
rious reformation of religion afterwards effected by 
Martin Luther ; in consequence of which, Wickliffe is 
often called " the morning star of the Reformation" 



Translation of the Bible into the English 
Language. 

The first English Bible we read of was that trans- 
lated by /. Wickliffe, about the year 1360, but never 
printed ; though there are manuscript copies of it in se- 
veral public libraries. The first printed Bible in our 
language was that translated by W. Tindal, assisted 
by Miles Coverdale, printed abroad in 1526; but most 
of the copies were bought up and burnt by bishop 
Tunstal and sir Thomas Moore. It contained only the 
New Testament, and was revised and republished by 
the same persons in 1530. 

After this, several translations were made — such as 
Mathews' Bible, in 1 537, being published by John Ro- 
gers, under the borrowed name of John Mathews ; 
Cranmer's Bible, in 1540, having been examined and 
prefaced by archbishop Cranmer; Geneva Bible, so 
called from having been printed in Geneva, which was 
the first English Bible where any distinction of verses 
was made ; and the bishops' Bible, so termed from se- 
veral bishops having been employed in the translation 
of it. After the translations of the Bible by the bishops, 
two other private versions had been made of the New 
Testament; the first by Lawrence Thompson, from 
SO* 



466 

Beza's Latin edition, with the notes of Beza, published 
in 1582, in quarto, and afterwards in 1589, varying 
very little from the Geneva Bible ; the second, by the 
papists at Rheims, in 1584, called the Rhemish Bible, 
or Rhemish translation. 

In consequence of dissatisfaction with those transla- 
tions, king James I. selected fifty-four persons, emi- 
nent in learning, and particularly well acquainted with 
the original languages in which the Old and New Tes- 
taments were written, to make a new translation of the 
whole Bible. In the year 1607, forty-seven of those 
persons (the other seven having probably died) as- 
sembled together and arranged themselves into com- 
mittees, to each of which a portion was given to trans- 
late. They were favoured not only with the best 
translations, but with the most accurate copies, and the 
various readings of the original text. After about three 
years' assiduous labour, they severally completed the 
parts assigned them. They then met together, and 
while one read the translation newly formed, the rest 
had each a copy of the original text in his hand, or 
some one of the ancient versions ; and when any diffi- 
culty occurred they stopped, till, by common consulta- 
tion, it was determined what was most agreeable to the 
inspired original. This translation was first published 
A. D. 1613, and is the one that has been, ever since 
that time, printed by public authority, and the same 
now in common use. 

The following is a specimen of WicklifTe's New 
Testament, in the old English of his time : — 

" Matth. x. 25, 26. In thilke tyme Jhesus answeride 
& seid, I knowleche to thee, Fadir, Lord of Hevene 
& of earthe, for thou hast hid these thingis fro wise 
men and redy, & hast schewid hem to littl children 
So, Fadir ; for so it was plesynge to fore thee. 

" John x. 26-30. Ye beleven not, for ye ben not of 
my scheep. My scheep heren my vois, and I knowe 
hem, and thei suen me. And I gyve to hem ever- 
lastynf e life, & thei schulen not perische, withouten 



467 

end; & noon schal rauysche hem fro myn hond. 
That thing that my Fadir gaf to me, is more than alle 
thingis : & no man may rauysche from my Fadirs 
hond. I & the Fadir ben onn. 
" Rom. ix. 12. It was seid to hem, that the more 
schulde serve the lesse : as it is written, Iouyde 
Jacob, but I hatide Esau. What therfore schulen 
we scie ? wher wickidnesse be enentis God ? God 
forbede. For he seith to Moises, I schal have mercy 
on whom I have mercy. Therefore, it is not neither 
of man willynge, neither rennynge ; but of God 
hauynge mercy. And the Scripture seith to Farao, 
For to this thinge have I styrrid thee, that I schewe 
in the my vertu, and that my name be teeld in all 
erthe. Therefore of whom God wole, he hath mercy ; 
& whom he wole he endurith. Thanne seith thou 
to me, what is sought ghit, for who withstondith 
his will ? Oo man what art thou that answerist to 
God ? Wher a maad thing seith to him that maad it, 
What hast thou made me so ? Wher a pottere of 
cley hath not power to make, of the same gobet, oo 
vessel unto onour, a nothir into dispyt !" 
The following is (according to Dr. Clarke), the first 
translation of the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians, which 
is known to exist in the English language. The pe- 
culiar orthography and points are preserved as in the 
manuscript. The words printed in italics may be con- 
sidered the translator's marginal readings ; for though 
incorporated with the text, they are distinguished from 
it by having lines drawn underneath. 
" Gyf I speke with tungis of men an aungels sotheli I 
have not charite : I am maad as brasse sounynge or a 
symbale tynking. And gif I schal have prophecie 
and have knowen alle mysteries and alle kunnynge 
or science, and gif I schal have al feith so that I over 
bere hillis fro oo place to an other, forsothe gif I schal 
not have charite : I am nougt. And gif I schal de- 
perte al my goodis into metis of pore men. And gif 
I schal bitake my body so that J brenne forsothe gif 
I schal not have charite it profitith to me no thing. 



468 

Charite is pacient or suffringe. It is denynge or of 
good wille. Charite envyeth not. It doth not gyle 
it is not inblowen with pride it is not ambyciouse or 
covetouse of wirschippis. It seekyth not the thingis 
that ben her owne. It is not stirrid to wrath, it 
thinkith not yvel, it joyeth not on wickidnesse ; for- 
sythe it joyeth to gydre to treuthe. It suffreth alle 
thingis, itbileeveth alle thingis. It hopith alle thingis ; 
it susteeneth alle thingis. Charite fallith not doun. 
'Whether prophecies schuln be voide eyther langagis 
schuln ceese : eyther science shal be destruyed. For- 
sothe of party we han knowen : and of partye pro- 
pecien. Forsothe whenne that schal cum to that is 
perfit : that thing that is of partye schal be avoydid. 
When I was a litil chiilde : I spake as a litil chiilde. 
I understode as a litil chiilde : I thougte as a littil 
chiilde. Forsothe whenn I was maad a man : I 
avoydid the thingis that weren of a litil childe. For- 
sothe we seen now bi a mirror in derenesse : thanne 
forsothe face to face. Nowe I know of partye: 
thanne forsothe I schal know as I am known. Nowe 
forsothe dwellen feith, hoope, charite. These three : 
forsothe the more of hem is charite." 



Lollards. 

The term Lollards is given to a religious sect dif- 
fering in many points from the church of Rome, which 
arose in Germany about the beginning of the fourteenth 
century ; and some writers have imagined that this term 
is so applied from Walter Lollard, who began to dog- 
matize in 1315, and was burnt at Cologne; though 
others think Lollard was no surname, but merely a 
term of reproach applied to all heretics who concealed 
the poison of error under the appearance of piety. 

The monk of Canterbury derives the origin of the 
word lollard among us from lolium, " a tare," as if the 
Lollards were the tares sown in Christ's vineyard. 
Abelly says that the word signifies " praising God," 



469 

from the German loben, " to praise," and heu, " lord,'- 
because the Lollards employed themselves in travelling 
about from place to place, singing psalms and hy.mns. 
Others, much to the same purpose, derive lollhard, lull- 
hard, or lollert, lullert, as it was written by the ancient 
Germans, from the old German word, lullen, loilen, or 
lallen, and the termination hard, with which many of 
the high Dutch words end. Lollen signifies " to sing 
with a low voice," and therefore lollard is a singer, or 
one who frequently sings ; and in the vulgar tongue of 
the Germans it denotes a person who is continually 
praising God with a song, or singing hymns to his 
honour. 

The Alexians or Cellites were called Lollards be- 
cause they were public singers, who made it their busi- 
ness to inter the bodies of those who died of the plague, 
and sang a dirge over them, in a mournful and indistinct 
tone, as they carried thern to the grave. The name 
was afterwards assumed by persons that dishonoured it ; 
for we find among those Lollards who made extraor- 
dinary pretences to religion, and spent the greatest part 
of their time in meditation, prayer, and such acts of 
piety, there were many abominable hypocrites, who 
entertained the most ridiculous opinions, and concealed 
the most enormous vices under the specious mark of 
this extraordinary profession. Many injurious asper- 
sions were therefore propagated by the priests and 
monks, against those who assumed this name ; so that, 
by degrees, any person who covered heresies or crimes 
under the appearance of piety, was called a Lollard, 
Thus the name was not used to denote any one par- 
ticular sect, but was formerly common to all persons or 
sects who were supposed to be guilty of impiety 
towards God, or the church, under an external profes- 
sion of great piety. However, many societies, consist- 
ing both of men and women, under the name of Lollards, 
were formed in most parts of Germany and Flanders, 
and were supported partly by their labours, and partly 
by the charitable donations of pious persons. The ma- 
gistrates and inhabitants of the towns where these 



770 

brethren and sisters resided, gave them particular marks 
of favour and protection, on account of their great use° 
fulness to the sick and needy. They were thus sup- 
ported against their malignant rivals, and obtained many 
papal constitutions, by which their institute was con 
firmed, their persons exempted from the cognizance of 
the inquisitor, and subjected entirely to the jurisdiction 
of the bishops ; but as these measures were insufficient 
to secure them from molestation, Charles, duke of Bui> 
gundy, in the year 1472, obtained a solemn bull from 
Sextus IV., ordering that the Cellites or Lollards should 
be ranked among the religious orders, and delivered 
from the jurisdiction of the bishops. And pope Julius 
II., granted them still greater privileges, in the year 
1506. Mosheim informs us that many societies of this 
kind are still subsisting at Cologne, and in the cities of 
Flanders, though they have evidently departed from 
their ancient rules. 

Lollard and his followers rejected the sacrifice of the 
mass, extreme unction, and penances for sin ; arguing 
that Christ's sufferings were sufficient. He is said, 
likewise, to have set aside baptism, as a thing of no 
effect ; and repentance as not absolutely necessary, &c. 
In England, the followers of Wickliffe were called, by 
way of reproach, Lollards, from the supposition that 
there was some affinity between some of their tenets ; 
though others are of opinion that the English Lollards 
came from Germany. — Buck's Theological Dictionary. 



John Huss and Jerome of Prague. 

John Huss was born about, the year 1380, in a village 
in Bohemia, called Hussenits, and lived at Prague in 
the highest reputation, both on account of the sanctity 
of his manners and the purity of his doctrines. He 
performed in that city, at the same time, both the offices 
of professor of divinity in the university, and of a pas 
tor in the church of that city. 

He adopted the sentiments of Wickliffe and the 
Waldenses ; and, in the year 1407, began openly to 



471 

oppose and preach against the doctrines and corruptions 
then in the Romish church. This inflamed the resent- 
ment of the clergy against him, and he was summoned 
to appear before the council of Constance. Secured, as 
he thought, from the rage of his enemies, by the safe 
conduct granted him by the emperor Sigismund for his 
journey to Constance, his residence in that place, and 
his return to his own country, Huss obeyed the order 
of the council, and appeared before it to demonstrate 
his innocence, and to prove that the charge of his hav- 
ing deserted the church of Rome was entirely ground- 
less HoweVer, his enemies so far prevailed, that, by 
the most scandalous breach of public faith, he was cast 
into prison, declared a heretic, because he refused to 
plead guilty against the dictates of his conscience, and 
burnt alive in 1415; a punishment which he endured 
with unparalleled magnanimity and resolution. When 
he came to the place of execution he fell on his knees, 
sang portions of psalms, looked steadfastly towards 
heaven, and repeated these words : — " Into thy hands, O 
Lord, do I commit my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, 
O most good and faithful God. Lord Jesus Christ, 
assist and help me, that with a firm and present mind, 
by thy most powerful grace, I may undergo this most 
cruel and ignominious death, to which I am condemned 
for preaching the truth of thy most holy gospel." When 
the chains were put upon him at the stake, he said, with 
a smiling countenance, " My Lord Jesus Christ was 
bound with a harder chain than this for my sake, and 
why should I be ashamed of this old and rusty one !" 
When the fagots were piled up to his very neck, the 
duke of Bavaria was officious enough to desire him to 
abjure. "No," says Huss, "I never preached any 
doctrine of an evil tendency ; and what I taught with 
my lips I seal with my blood." He said to the execu- 
tioner, " Are you going to burn a goose ?* In one cen- 
tury you will have a swan you can neither roast nor 
boil." If he were prophetic he must have meant Lu* 



ffuss, in the language of his country, signifies goose 



472 

ther, who had a swan for his arms. The fire was then 
applied to the fagots ; when the martyr sang s hymn. 
At last his voice was cut short, after he had uttered, 
" Jesus Christ, thou son of the living God, have mercy 
upon me ;" and he was consumed in a most miserable 
manner. The duke of Bavaria ordered the executioner 
to throw all the martyr's clothes into the flames ; after 
which his ashes were carefully collected and cast into 
the Rhine. 

Jerome of Prague, the intimate friend and companion 
of Huss, was born at Prague, and suffered martyrdom 
one year after Huss. He was educated at. the univer- 
sity of Prague, had travelled into many countries in 
Europe, and was greatly celebrated for his learning, 
virtues, and uncommon eloquence. 

Being of the sentiments of Huss, he was summoned 
before the council of Constance. It is said that it was 
amazing to hear with what force of expression, fluency 
of speech, and excellent reasoning, he answered his ad- 
versaries. It was impossible to hear him without emo- 
tion. Every ear was captivated and every heart touch- 
ed. But wishes in his favour were in vain ; he threw 
himself beyond a possibility of mercy. He launched 
out into a high encomium of Huss, calling him a holy 
man, and lamenting his cruel and unjust death. He 
had armed himself, he said, with a full resolution to fol- 
low the steps of that blessed martyr, and to suffer with 
constancy whatever the malice of his enemies could in- 
flict. Firm and intrepid, he stood before the council, 
collected in himself; not only contemning, but seeming 
even desirous of death. Two days were allowed him 
for reflection, and many persons of consequence endea- 
voured to make him recant his opinions ; but all was in 
vain, and he was condemed as a heretic. 

With a cheerful countenance he came to the place of 
execution, pulled off his upper garment, and made a 
short prayer at the stake, to which he was soon bound 
with wet cords, and an iron chain, and enclosed with 
fagots as high as his breast. 

Observing the executioner about setting fire to the 



473 

wood behind his back, he cried out, " Bring thy torch 
hither. Perform thy office before my face. Had I 
feared death I might have avoided it." 

As the wood began to blaze he sang a hymn, which 
the violence of the flame scarce interrupted ; and the 
last words he was heard to say, were, 

" This soul in flames I offer, Christ, to thee !" 



Martin Luther. 

Martin Luther, the great reformer of the church, 
was born at Eisleben, in Saxony, in 1483. Though 
his parents were poor, they endeavoured to give their 
son an education ; but young Luther, with other poor 
students, was obliged to earn his bread by singing be- 
fore the doors of houses. In this occupation he often 
met with hard language and bitter reproaches at many 
doors. One day being much dejected, the worthy wife 
of a citizen, penetrated with pity for him, called the 
hungry youth into the house and refreshed him with 
food. This worthy woman, with her husband, were so 
well pleased with young Luther, that they determined to 
provide him food and clothing, that he might, with- 
out interruption and care for his support, the more zeal- 
ously pursue his studies, in which he gave many indi- 
cations of future worth. As his mind was naturally 
susceptible of serious impressions, and tinctured with 
that religious melancholy which delights in the solitude 
of a monastic life, he retired into a convent of Augus- 
tinian friars ; where he acquired great reputation, not 
only for piety, but for love of knowledge and unwearied 
application to study. 

Happening to find a Bible in the monastery, he ap- 
plied himself to the study of it with so much eager- 
ness and assiduity as to astonish the monks, and in- 
creased his reputation for sanctity so much that he was 
chosen professor of theology in the university of Wit 
temburg. 



474 

While Luther was thus employed, Tetzel, a Domini- 
can friar, came to Wittemburg in order to publish in- 
dulgences. This appeared so contrary to the gospel 
that Luther published his sentiments respecting them, 
which spread over Germany with great rapidity, and 
were read with the greatest eagerness. 

Luther, having thus begun to oppose one practice of 
the Romish church, was also led to examine other prac- 
tices and tenets of the same church ; the result of which 
entirely convinced him that the popish religion was not 
the religion of the Bible, and he boldly declared the 
pope to be the antichrist, or man of sin, whose appear- 
ance is foretold in the New Testament. 

The court of Rome being alarmed at the progress of 
Luther's sentiments among all classes of people, ex- 
communicated him as a heretic, and would probably 
have put him to death had he not been befriended by 
some of the princes of Germany, who were friendly to 
the new doctrines he set forth. Being at Augsburg in 
1518, whither he had been summoned to answer for his 
opinions, Luther declared he could not renounce opi- 
nions founded in reason, and derived from Scripture, and 
at the same time delivering a formal protest, the cardi- 
nal asked, " What do you mean ? Do you rely on the 
force of arms ? When the just punishment and the 
thunder of the pope's indignation break in upon you, 
where do you think to remain ?" His answer was, 
" Either in heaven or under heaven." 

Luther was at length summoned to appear before the 
diet at Worms, to answer for his heresy. The empe- 
ror Charles V. having granted him a safe conduct, he 
yielded obedience and set out for Worms. While on 
his journey, many of his friends (whom the fate of 
Huss under similar circumstances, and notwithstanding 
the same security of an imperial safe conduct, filled 
with solicitude) advised and entreated him not to rush 
wantonly into the midst of danger. But Luther, supe- 
rior to such terrors, silenced them with this reply : — "/ 
am lawfully called" said he, " to appear in that city 




MARTIN LUTHER. 



Luther, when brought before the Diet at Worms, was called on 
to recant his opinions. Unawed by the multitude, or the 
power of his enemies, he firmly refused, declaring, " unless 
convinced by clear reasons taken from the holy Scriptures, I 
neither can or will recant. Here I stand ! I cannot do other 
wise, so help me God. Amen !" 



476 

and thither I will go in the name of the Lord, though 
as many devils as there are tiles on the houses were 
there combined against me." 

When Luther arrived at Worms, greater crowds than 
had appeared at the emperor's public entry assembled 
to behold him. At his appearance before the diet he 
behaved with great decency and firmness. When called 
upon to recant his opinions, Luther replied, in a truly 
exalted manner, " Except I can be convinced by clear 
reasoning, or by proofs taken from the Holy Scriptures, 
I neither can nor will recant, because it is neither safe 
nor advisable to do any thing which is against my con- 
science. Here I stand ; I cannot do otherwise ; so help 
me God! Amen!" Luther persisting in this answer, 
he was dismissed from the assembly under a strong es- 
cort, and was permitted by the emperor to return froln 
Worms. 

Luther, after this, in 1534, translated the Bible into 
the German language, wrote many works, and laboured 
with unwearied zeal in propagating the doctrines of the 
reformation. He had during his life the pleasure of 
seeing vast numbers of the people adopting his senti- 
ments, and the reformed religion firmly established in 
many parts of Europe. 

" Luther died February the 18th, A. D. 1546, atEis- 
leben, where he was born. The Almighty, who had 
protected him against so many dangers, saved him by a 
seasonable death from the tempest which was gathering, 
and ready to break forth against his followers. When 
he felt his strength declining, he made his last will, 
which is preserved in its original state at Wittemburg, 
and concludes as follows :— ' I had my reason to omit 
in my last will the usual legal formalities, and I hope I 
shall be credited more than a notary ; for I am well 
known in the world, since God, the Father of all mercy, 
has intrusted me, an unworthy sinner, with the gospel 
of his Son, and enabled me to this day to preach it with 
truth, faithfulness, and perseverance; and many per- 
sons in the world have been converted by my ministry, 
and think me a doctor of truth, notwithstanding the ban 



01 

of the pope, the emperor, and the wrath of many kings, 
princes, parsons, yea, and of all the devils. Why then 
should I not be credited in a matter so insignificant ; 
particularly since my handwriting is well known, and 
sufficient, if it can be said, this is written by Dr. Mar- 
tin Luther, the notary of God, and witness of his 
gospel V 

" Though he felt great pain during his last illness, 
his native intrepidity did not forsake him ; he conversed 
with his friends to the last about the happiness of the 
future world, and of meeting again hereafter. When 
the pain began to increase, and death approached, he 
called for Justus Jonas, who had accompanied him from 
Halle to Eisleben, who heard him repeat three times 
these words : ' Father, into thy hand I give my spirit' 
— and say the following prayer >— « O, my heavenly 
Father, who art the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, thou God of all comfort, I thank thee for hav- 
ing revealed to me thy dear Son Jesus Christ, on whom 
I believe, whom I have preached and professed, loved 
and praised, but who is despised and persecuted by the 
pope and all the wicked. I pray to thee, Lord Jesus 
Christ, let my soul be recommended to thee. O my 
heavenly Father, though I must leave this body of clay, 
and depart this life, I know for certain that I shall re- 
main for ever with thee, and that no one shall pluck me 
ou?t of thy hand.' When marks of approaching death 
appeared in his face, Jonas asked him, ' Reverend father, 
do you die in Christ, and upon the doctrine which you 
have preached V Having answered with a loud voice, 
' Yes !' he fell into a soft sleep, and expired." 



ZUINGLIUS, THE SWISS REFORMER. 

Ulric Zuinglius was the son of a peasant of the 
Swiss valley of Tockenburgh, and was born January 
1st, 1483. He was destined for the church, and was sent 
successively to Basil, Bern, and Vienna, where he ac- 
quired the meagre literature usual in the fifteenth cen- 



418 

tury. After four years' residence at Basil, he was 
ordained by the bishop of Constance, on being 
chosen by the burghers of Glaris as their pastor. 
From this epoch commenced his religious knowl- 
edge. It occurred, that to be master of the true 
doctrines of Christianity, he should look for them 
in the Scriptures themselves. 

After long study and interchange with the lead- 
ing divines and philosophers, he felt impelled to de- 
clare what he believed to be the truth to his coun- 
trymen. On the occasion of a catholic festival 
called the " Consecration of the Angels," Zuinglius 
ascended the pulpit. The concourse was immense, 
from the whole range of Switzerland, and every ear 
was turned to catch the panegyric of the Saints, 
the Mighty Mother, &c. Instead of this, the aston- 
ished multitude heard a discourse which struck at 
the catholic doctrines — Absolution for money — pil- 
grimages — the worship of the Virgin — and the in- 
tercession of the saints. 

From this time, Zuinglius was considered as one 
of the first champions of the Reformation, and was 
chosen preacher in the cathedral of Zurich in 1518. 
The Protestant Cantons of Zurich and Bern being 
engaged in warfare against the five catholic Can- 
tons, Zuinglius, as was customary with the Swiss 
clergy, followed his people to the field. As he was 
in front of his countrymen, exhorting them to fight 
for freedom and holiness, he fell almost by the first 
fire of the enemy. 



Persecutions in China and Japan. 

At the commencement of the sixteenth century, 
three Italian missionaries, namely, Roger the Nea- 
politan, Paris of Bologna, and Matthew Ricci of 
Mazerta, entered China with a view of establishing 
Christianity there. In order to succeed in this im- 
portant commission, they had previously made the 
Chinese language their constant study. 

The zeal displayed by these missionaries in the dis- 



479 

charge of their duty was very great ; but Roger and 
Pasis in a few years returning to Europe, the whole la 
bour devolved upon Ricci. The perseverance of Ricci 
was proportioned to the ardous task he had undertaken. 
Though disposed to indulge his converts as far as pos- 
sible, he disliked many of their ceremonies, which 
seemed idolatrous. At length, after eighteen years' la- 
bour and reflection, he thought it most advisable to to- 
lerate all those customs which were obtained by the 
laws of the empire, but strictly enjoined his converts to 
omit the rest ; and thus, by not resisting too much the 
external ceremonies of the country, he succeeded in 
bringing over many to the truth. In 1630, however, 
this tranquillity was disturbed by the arrival of some 
new missionaries ; who, being unacquainted with the 
Chinese customs, manners, and language, and with the 
principles of Ricci's toleration, were astonished when 
they saw Christian converts fall prostrate before Con- 
fucius and the tables of their ancestors, and loudly 
censured the proceedings as idolatrous. This occa- 
sioned a warm controversy; and, not coming to any agree- 
ment, the new missionaries wrote an account of the af- 
fair to the pope, and the society for the propagation of 
the Christian faith. The society soon pronounced 
that the ceremonies were idolatrous and intolerable, 
which sentence was confirmed by the pope. In this 
they were excusable, the matter having been misrepre- 
sented to them ; for the enemies of Ricci had declared 
the halls in which the ceremonies were performed to 
be temples, and the ceremonies themselves the sacri- 
fices to idols. 

The sentence was sent over to China, where it was 
received with great contempt, and matters remained in 
the same state for some time. At length a true repre- 
sentation was sent over, explaining that the Chinese 
customs and ceremonies alluded to were entirely free 
from idolatry, but merely political, and tending only to 
the peace and welfare of the empire. The pope, find- 
ing that he had not weighed the affair with due consi- 
deration, sought to extricate himself from the difficulty 



480 

in which he had been so precipitately entangled, and 
therefore referred the representation to the inquisition, 
which reversed the sentence immediately. 

The Christian church, notwithstanding these divi- 
sions, flourished in China till the death of the first Tar- 
tar emperor, whose successor Cang-hi, was a minor. 
During his minority, the regents and nobles conspired 
to crush the Christian religion. The execution of this 
design was accordingly begun with expedition, and car- 
ried on with severity, so that every Christian teacher 
in China, as well as those who professed the faith, was 
surprised at the suddenness of the event. John Adam 
Schall, a German ecclesiastic, and one of the princi- 
pals of the mission, was thrown into a dungeon, and 
narrowly escaped with his life, being then in the seven- 
ty-fourth year of his age. 

In 1665, the ensuing year, the ministers of state pub- 
lished the following decree : — 1st. That the Christian 
doctrines wese false. 2d. That they were dangerous 
to the interests of the empire. 3d. That they should 
not be preached under pain of death. The result of 
this was a most furious persecution, in which some 
were put to death, many ruined, and all in some mea- 
sure oppressed. Previous to this, the Christians had 
suffered partially ; but the decree being general, the 
persecution now spread its ravages over the whole em- 
pire, wherever its objects were scattered. 

Four years after, the young emperor was declared of 
age ; and one of the first acts of his reign was to stop 
this persecution. 

The first introduction of Christianity into the empire 
of Japan took place in 1552, when some Portuguese 
missionaries commenced their endeavours to make con- 
verts to the light of the gospel, and met with such suc- 
cess as amply compensated their labours. They con- 
tinued to augment the number of their converts till 
1616, when, being accused of having formed a plan to 
subvert the government and dethrone the emperor, 
great jealousies arose, and subsisted till 1622, when the 
court commenced a dreadful persecution against both 



481 

foreign and native Christians. Such was the rage of 
this persecution, that during the first four years 20,570 
Christians were massacred. Death was the conse- 
quence of a public avowal of their faith, and their 
churches were shut up by order of government. Many, 
on a discovery of their religion, by spies and inform- 
ers, suffered martyrdom with great heroism. The 
persecution continued many years, when the remnant 
of the innumerable Christians with which Japan 
abounded, to the number of 37,000 souls, retired to the 
town and castle of Siniabara, in the island of Xinio, 
where they determined to make a stand, to continue in 
Jieir faith, and to defend themselves to the very last 
extremity. To this place the Japanese army followed 
them, and laid siege to the place. The Christians de- 
fended themselves with great bravery, and held out 
against the besiegers three months, but were at length 
compelled to surrender, when men, women, and chil- 
dren, were indiscriminately murdered ; and Christianity 
from that time ceased in Japan. 

This event took place on the 12th of April, 1638, 
since which time no Christians but the Dutch have 
been allowed to land in the empire, and even they are 
obliged to conduct themselves with the greatest pre- 
caution, to submit to the most rigorous treatment, and 
to carry on their commerce with the utmost circum- 
spection. 



Attempt of the Mahometans to subdue 
Europe. 

Constantinople, after having been for many ages an 
imperial Christian city, was invested, in 1453, by the 
Turks, under Mahomet II.,* whose army consisted of 
300,000 men, and, after a siege of six weeks, it fell into 
the hands of the infidels ; and the Turks have, to this 
day, retained possession of it.f They no sooner found 

* He was the ninth of the Ottoman race, and subdued all 
Greece. 

f About fifteen years before this fatal event took place, the city 
31 



.482 

themselves masters of it, than they began to exercise 
on the inhabitants the most unremitting barbarities, 
destroying them by every method of ingenious cruelty. 
Some they roasted alive on spits, others they starved, 
some they flayed alive, and left them in that horrid 
manner to perish ; many were sawn asunder, and 
others torn to pieces by horses. Three days and nights 
was the city given to spoil, in which time the soldiers 
were licensed to commit every enormity. The body of 
the emperor being found among the slain, Mahomet 
commanded his head to be stuck on a spear, and carried 
round the town for the mockery of the soldiers. 

About the year 1521, Solyman II. took Belgrade from 
the Christians. Two years after, he, with a fleet of 
450 ships, and an army of 300,000 men, attacked 
Rhodes, then defended by the knights of Jerusalem. 
These heroes resisted the infidels till all their fortifi- 
cations were levelled with the ground, their provisions 
exhausted, and their ammunition spent ; when, finding 
no succours from the Christian princes, they surrendered, 
the siege having lasted about six months, in which the 
Turks suffered prodigiously, no less than 30,000 of them 
having died of the bloody flux. After this, Solyman 
retook Buda from the Christians, and treated those who 
were found there with great cruelty. 

Mad with conquest, Solyman now proceeded west- 
ward to Vienna, glutting himself with slaughter on his 
march, and vainly hoping in a short time to lay all 

had yielded the liberties of its church to the pope of Rome. A ma- 
nifest want of patriotism was evidenced in the inhabitants, who, 
instead of bringing forth their treasures to the public service and 
defence of the place, buried them in vast heaps ; insomuch, that 
when Mahomet, suspecting the case, commanded the earth to be 
dug up, and found immense hoards, he exclaimed, " How was it 
that this place lacked ammunition and fortification, amidst such 
abundance of riches'!" The Turks found a crucifix in the great 
church of St. Sophia, on the head of which they wrote, " This is 
the God of the Christians," and then carried it with a trumpet 
around the city, and exposed it to the contempt of the soldiers, 
who were commanded to spit upon it. Thus did the superstition 
of Rome afford a triumph to the enemies of the cross. 




SOLYMAff DEFEATED BEFORE VIENNA. 

Grown desperate by resistance, Solyman, the Turkish chieftain 
determined to undermine the Corinthian gate, but beino- dis- 
covered by the citizens, they prepared a train of gunpowder, 
winch being set on fire, blew up about 8,000 of their enemies' 
and thus prevented the further introduction of Mahometanism 
into Europe. 



484 

Europe at his feet, and to banish Christianity from the 
earth. 

Having pitched his tent before the walls of Vienna, 
he sent three Christian prisoners into the town, to terrify 
the citizens with an account of the strength of his army, 
while a great many more whom he had taken in his 
march were torn asunder by horses. Happily for the 
Germans, three days only before the arrival ol the 
Turks, the earl palatine, Frederic, to whom was as- 
signed the defence of Vienna, had entered the town 
with 14,000 chosen veterans, besides a body of horse. 
Solyman sent a summons for the city to surrender ; but 
the Germans defying him, he instantly commenced the 
siege. It has before been observed, that the religion 
of Mahomet promises to all soldiers who die in battle, 
whatever be their crimes, admission into paradise. 
Hence arises that fury and temerity which they usually 
display in fighting. They began with a most tremen- 
dous cannonade, and made many attempts to take the 
city by assault. But the steady valour of the Germans 
was superior to the enthusiasm of their enemies. Soly- 
man, filled with indignation at this unusual check to 
his fortune, determined to exert every power to carry 
his project. To this end he planted his ordinance be- 
fore the king's gate, and battered it with such violence 
that a breach was soon made ; whereupon the Turks, 
under cover of the smoke, poured in torrents into the 
city, and the soldiers began to give up all for lost. But 
the officers, with admirable presence of mind, causing 
a great shouting to be made in the city, as if fresh 
troops had just arrived, their own soldiers were in- 
spired with fresh courage, while the Turks, being 
seized with a panic, fled precipitately, and overthrew 
each other ; by which means the city was freed from 
destruction. 

Grown more desperate by resistance, Solyman re- 
solved upon another attempt, and this was by under- 
mining the Corinthian gate. Accordingly, he set his 
Illyrians at work, who were expert at this kind of war- 
fare. They succeeded in coming under ground to the 



485 

foundations of the tower ; but being discovered by the 
wary citizens, they, with amazing activity and diligence, 
countermined them ; and having prepared a train of 
gunpowder, even to the trenches of the enemy, they set 
fire to it, and by that means rendered abortive their at- 
tempts, and blew up about 8000 of them. Foiled in 
every attempt, the courage of the Turkish chief dege- 
nerated into madness ; he ordered his men to scale the 
walls, in which attempt they were destroyed by thou- 
sands, their very numbers serving to their own defeat; 
till, at length, the valour of his troops relaxed, and 
dreading the hardihood of their European adversaries, 
they began to refuse obedience. Sickness also seized their 
camp, and numbers perished from famine ; for the Ger- 
mans, by their vigilance, had found means to cut off their 
supplies. Frustrated in all his designs, Solyman, after 
having lost above 80,000 men, resolved to abandon 
his enterprise ; and sending his baggage before him, 
proceeded homewards with the utmost expedition — thus 
freeing Europe from the impending terror of universal 
Mahometanism. 



English Martyrs. 

Queen Mary ascended the throne of England in 1553. 
She was strongly bigoted to the popish religion, and 
during her reign (which was of about five years' con- 
tinuance) she carried on a most bloody persecution 
against the protestants. It was computed that during 
this persecution two hundred and seventy-seven persons 
were burnt, besides those punished by imprisonment, 
fines, and confiscations. Among those who suffered by 
fire, were five bishops, twenty-one clergymen, eight lay 
gentlemen, eighty-four tradesmen, one hundred hus- 
bandmen, fifty-five women, and four children. 

Rogers, prebendary of St. Paul's, and Hooper, bishop 



48(5 

of Gloucester, were the first martyrs. Saunders and 
Taylor, two other clergymen, whose zeal had been 
distinguished in carrying on the reformation, were the 
next that suffered. " Bonner, bishop of London, bloated 
at once with rage and luxury, let loose his vengeance 
without restraint, and seemed to take a pleasure in the 
pains of the unhappy sufferers ; while the queen, by her 
letters, exhorted him to pursue the pious work without 
pity or interruption. Soon after, in obedience to her 
commands, Ridley, bishop of London, and the venerable 
Latimer, bishop of Worcester, were condemned to- 
gether. Ridley had been one of the ablest champions 
for the reformation ; his piety, learning, and solidity of 
judgment, were admired by his friends, and dreaded by 
his enemies. The night before his execution he in- 
vited the mayor of Oxford and his wife to see him ; and 
when he beheld them melted into tears, he himself ap- 
peared quite unmoved, inwardly supported and com- 
forted in that hour of agony. When he was brought 
to the stake to be burnt, he found his old friend Latimer 
there before him. Of all the prelates of that age, Lati- 
mer was the most remarkable for his unaffected piety 
and the simplicity of his manners. He had never 
learned to flatter in courts ; and his open rebuke was 
dreaded by all the great, who at that time too much de- 
served it. His sermons, which remain to this day, 
show that he had much learning and much wit ; and 
there is an air of sincerity running through them, not to 
be found elsewhere. When Ridley began to comfort 
his ancient friend, Latimer on his part was as ready to 
return his kind office. " Be of good cheer, brother," 
cried he, " we shall this day kindle such a torch in 
England, as I trust in God shall never be extinguished." 
A furious bigot ascended to preach to them and the 
people while the fire was preparing ; and Ridley gave 
a most serious attention to his discourse. No way dis- 
tracted by the preparations about him, he heard him to 
the last ; and then told him, that he was ready to answer 
to all that he had preached upon, if he were permitted 
a short indulgence, but this was refused him. At 



48^ 

length, fire being set to the pile, Latimer was soon out 
of pain ; but Ridley continued to suffer much longer, 
his legs being consumed before the fire reached his 
vitals. Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, had less 
courage at first. His love of life, in an unguarded mo- 
ment, induced him to sign a paper condemning the re- 
formation. Of this act, he afterwards bitterly repented. 
Being led to the stake, and the fire beginning to be 
kindled round him, he stretched forth his right hand 
and held it in the flames till it was consumed; ex- 
claiming several times, " This hand has offended ! This 
wicked hand has offended !" When it dropped off", he 
discovered a serenity in his countenance, as if satisfied 
with sacrificing to divine justice the instrument of his 
crime. " When the fire attacked his body, he seemed 
to be insensible of his tortures ; his mind was occupied 
wholly upon the hopes of a future reward. After his 
body was destroyed, his heart was found entire ; an 
emblem of the constancy with which he suffered."* 



Sufferings and Martyrdom of Anne Askew. 
Anne Askew was the second daughter of sir William 
Askew, of Kelsey, in Lincolnshire. She had received 
a genteel education, which, with an agreeable person 
and good understanding, rendered her a very proper 
person to be at the head of a family. Her father, re- 
gardless of his daughter's inclination and happiness, 
obliged her to marry a gentleman who had nothing to 
recommend him but his fortune ; and who was a most 
bigoted papist. No sooner was he convinced of his 
wife's regard for the doctrines of the reformation from 
popery, than, by the instigation of the priests, he vio- 
lently drove her from his house, though she had borne 
him two children, and her conduct was unexceptionable. 
Abandoned by her husband, she came up to London in 
order to procure a divorce, and to make herself known 
to that part of the court who either professed or were 
favourers of protestantism ; but as Henry VIII., with 

* Goldsmith's History of England. 



488 

consent of parliament, had just enacted the law of the six 
articles, commonly called the Bloody Statute, she was 
cruelly betrayed by her own husband, taken into cus- 
tody upon his information, and examined concerning 
her faith. The act above mentioned denounced death 
against all those who should deny the doctrine of tran- 
substantiation, or that bread and wine made use of in 
the sacrament were not converted, after consecration, 
into the real body and blood of Christ ; or maintain the 
necessity of receiving the sacrament in both kinds ; or 
affirm that it was lawful for priests to marry ; that the 
vows of celibacy might be broken ; that private masses 
were of no avail ; and that auricular confession to a 
priest was not necessary to salvation. Upon these ar- 
ticles she was examined by the inquisitor, a priest, the 
lord mayor of London, and the bishop's chancellor, and 
to all their queries gave proper and pertinent answers ; 
but not being such as they approved, she was sent back 
to prison, where she remained eleven days, to ruminate 
alone on her alarming situation, being even denied the 
small consolation of a friendly visit. The king's counsel 
being at Greenwich, she was once more examined by 
chancellor Wriothesley, Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, 
Dr. Cox and Dr. Robinson, but not being able to convince 
her of her supposed errors, she was sent to the tower. It 
was strongly suspected that Mrs. Askew was favoured by 
some ladies of high rank, and that she carried on a reli- 
gious correspondence with the queen ; so that chancel- 
lor Wriothesley, hoping that he might discover some- 
thing that would afford matter of impeachment against 
that princess, the earl of Hertford, or his countess, who 
all favoured the reformation, ordered her to be put to 
the rack ; but her fortitude in suffering, and her resolu- 
tion not to betray her friends, were proof against that 
diabolical invention. Not a groan nor a word could be 
extorted from her. The chancellor, provoked with what 
he called her obstinacy, augmented her tortures with 
his own hands, and with unheard-of violence ; but her 
courage and constancy were invincible, and these bar- 
barians gained nothing by their cruelties but everlasting 



489 

disgrace and infamy. As soon as she was taken from 
the rack, she fainted away ; but, being recovered, she 
was condemned to the flames. Her bones were dislo- 
cated in such a manner that they were forced to carry 
her in a chair to the place of execution. While she was 
at the stake, letters were brought her from the lord 
chancellor, offering her the king's pardon if she would 
recant ; but she refused to look at them, telling the mes- 
senger " that she came not thither to deny her lord 
and master." The same letters were also tendered to 
three other persons condemned to the same fate, and 
who, animated by her example, refused to accept them ; 
whereupon the lord mayor commanded the fire to be 
kindled, and with savage ignorance, cried out, " Fiat 
justitia" — Let justice take its course. The fagots 
being lighted, she commended her soul, with the utmost 
composure, into the hands of her Maker, and, like the 
great founder of the religion she professed, expired 
praying for her murderers, July 16th, 1549, about the 
t wen ty-fifth_ year of her age. 

" I do not know," observes a good English writer, 
" if all circumstances be considered, whether the his- 
tory of this or any other nation can furnish a more illus- 
trious example than this now related. To her father's 
will she sacrificed her own inclinations ; to a husband 
unworthy her affections she behaved with prudence, 
respect and obedience ; the secrets of her friends she 
preserved inviolable, even amidst the tortures of the 
rack. Her constancy in suffering, considering her age 
and sex, was equal, at least, if not superior, to any 
thing on record, and her piety was genuine and unaf- 
fected, of which she gave the most exalted proof in 
dying a martyr for the cause of her religion and liberty 
of conscience. But who can read this example, and 
not lament and detest that spirit of cruelty and inhu- 
manity which are imbibed and cherished in the church 
of Rome ? a spirit repugnant to the feelings of nature, 
and directly opposite to the conduct and disposition of 
the great Author of our religion, who came not to destroy 
men's lives, but to save them." 
21* 



490 

Massacre of St. Bartholomew's. 

In the month of August, 1572, in the reign of Charles 
IX. of France, 30,000, or, as some affirm, 100,000 pro- 
testants were massacred in France by the Catholics. 
This bloody massacre commenced in Paris on the 24th 
of August, on St. Bartholomew's day. 

In order the sooner to efFect their purposes by cutting 
off the leaders of the protestants, many of the principal 
ones in the kingdom were invited to Paris under a 
solemn oath of safety, upon occasion of the marriage of 
the king of Navarre with the French king's sister. The 
queen-dowager of Navarre, a zealous protestant, how- 
ever was poisoned by a pair of gloves before the marriage 
was solemnized. Upon a given signal the work of 
death began. Charles, the savage monarch, from the 
windows of his palace, encouraged the furious populace 
to massacre his protestant subjects, by crying out 
"Kill! kill!" 

Cologne admiral of France, was basely murdered in 
his own house, and then thrown out of the window, to 
gratify the malice of the duke of Guise ; his head was 
afterwards cut off, and sent to the king and queen-mo- 
ther ; and his body, after many indignities offered to it, 
hung on a gibbet. After this, the murderers ravaged 
the whole city of Paris, and butchered in three days 
above ten thousand lords, gentlemen, presidents, and 
people of all ranks. " A horrible scene of things !" 
says a historian of the time ; " the very streets and 
passages resounded with the noise of those who met 
together for murder and plunder ; the groans of those 
who were dying, the shrieks of those who were just 
going to be butchered, were every where heard ; the 
bodies of the slain were thrown out of the windows, 
the dead bodies of others were dragged through the 
streets; their blood running through the channels, in 
such plenty, that torrents seemed to empty themselves 
into the neighbouring river , in a word, an innumerable 
number of men, women, and children, were all involved 
in one common destruction, and the gates and entrances 
of the king's palace all besmeared with their bjpqd." 



491 

From the city of Paris the massacre spread through- 
out the whole kingdom. In the city of Meaux they 
threw above two hundred into jail ; and after they 
had ravished and killed a great number of women, and 
plundered the houses of the protestants, they exercised 
their fury on those they had imprisoned, and, calling 
them one by one, they were killed like sheep in a mar- 
ket. In Orleans they murdered above five hundred 
men, women, and children, and enriched themselves with 
the spoil. The same cruelties were practised at Angus, 
Troyes, Bouges, La Charite, and especially at Lyons, 
where they inhumanly destroyed above eight hundred 
protestants ; children hanging on their parents' necks ; 
parents embracing their children ; putting ropes about 
the necks of some, dragging them through the streets, 
and throwing them, mangled, torn, and half-dead, into 
the river. 

But what aggravates still more these scenes of wan- 
tonness and cruelty, was the manner in which the news 
was received at Rome. When the letters of the pope's 
legate were read in the assembly of the cardinals, by 
which he assured the pope that all was transacted by 
the express will and command of the king, it was imme- 
diately decreed that the pope should march with his 
cardinals to the church of St. Mark, and in the most 
solemn manner give thanks to God for so great a bless- 
ing conferred on the see of Rome and the Christian 
world ; and on the Monday after, solemn mass should be 
celebrated in the church of Minerva, at which pope 
Gregory XIII. and his cardinals were present; and that 
a jubilee should be published throughout the whole 
Christian world, and the cause of it declared to be, to 
return thanks to God for the extirpation of the enemies 
of the truth and church in France. 

In the evening the canon of St. Angelo were fired to 
testify the public joy ; the whole city illuminated with 
bonfires ; and no one sign of rejoicing omitted that was 
usually made for the greatest victories obtained in favour 
of the Roman church ! ! ! 



iM 



l • : J 




64. Gunpowder Plot. 
In order to crush popery in England, king James I., 
soon after his accession to the throne, took proper mea- 
sures for eclipsing the power of the Roman catholics, 
by enforcing those laws which had been made against 
them by his predecessors. This enraged the papists to 
such a degree, that a conspiracy was formed by some 
of the principal leaders, the object of which was to 



493 

blow up the king, the royal family, and both houses of 
parliament, and thus to involve the nation in utter and 
inevitable ruin. 

The cabal who formed the resolution of putting in 
practice this scheme consisted of thirteen persons, most 
of whom were men both of birth and fortune. 

Their consultations were held in the spring and sum- 
mer of the year 1604, and it was towards the close of 
that year that they begun their operations. It was 
agreed that a few of the conspirators should run a mine 
below the hall in which the parliament was to assemble, 
and that they should choose the very moment when the 
king should deliver his speeches to both houses for 
springing the mine, and thus, by one blow, cut off the 
king, lords, commons, and all the other enemies of the 
Catholic religion, in that very spot where that religion 
had been most oppressed. For this purpose a house 
was hired adjoining the upper house of parliament, and 
the conspirators, expecting their victims would meet on 
the 17th of February following, began on the 11th of 
December to dig in the cellar, through the wall of par- 
tition, which was three yards thick. There were seven 
in number joined in this labour. They went in by night, 
and never after appeared in sight ; for, having supplied 
themselves with powder, shot, and fire-arms, they had 
formed a resolution rather to die than be taken. 

On Candlemas-day, 1605, they had dug as far through 
the wall as to be able to hear a noise on the other side ; 
upon which unexpected event, fearing a discovery, 
Guido Fawkes (one of the principal actors in this con- 
spiracy) was despatched to know the occasion, and re- 
turned with the favourable report, that the place from 
whence the noise came was a large cellar under the 
upper house of parliament, full of seacoal which was 
then on sale, and the cellar offered to be let. 

On this information the cellar was hired, and the 
remainder of the coal was bought by one of the conspi- 
rators. He then sent for thirty barrels of gunpowder 
from Holland, and landing them at Lambeth, conveyed 
them gradually by night to this cellar, where they were 



494 

covered with stones, iron bars, a thousand billets, and 
five hundred fagots ; all which was done at their lei- 
sure, the parliament being prorogued to the 5th of No- 
vember. 

This being done, the conspirators next consulted how 
they should secure the duke of York (who was too 
young to be expected at the parliament-house) and his 
sister the princess Elizabeth. It was resolved that two 
persons should enter into the duke's chamber, and a 
dozen more, properly disposed at several doors, with two 
or three on horseback at the court gate to receive him, 
should carry him safe away as soon as the parliament 
house was blown up ; or if that could not be effected, 
that they should kill him, and declare the princess 
Elizabeth queen, having secured her under pretence of 
a hunting match that day. 

It was agreed, also, to apply to France, Spain, and 
other powers, for assistance after the plot had taken 
effect, and to proclaim the princess Elizabeth queen, 
spreading a report, after the blow was given, that the 
puritans were the perpetrators of this inhuman act. 

All matters being now prepared by the conspirators, 
they waited with the utmost impatience the 5th of No- 
vember. But all their counsels were blasted by a hap- 
py and providential circumstance. One of the conspi- 
rators having a desire to save William Parker, Lord 
Monteagle, sent him the following letter : 

" My Lord, 
" Out of the love I bear to some of your friends, I 
have a care for your preservation ; therefore I advise 
you, as you tender your life, to devise you some excuse 
to shift off your attendance at this parliament ; for God 
and man have concurred to punish the wickedness of 
this time ; and think not slightly of this advertisement, 
but retire yourself into the country, where you may 
expect the event with safety ; for though there be no 
appearance of any stir, yet I say they shall receive a 
terrible blow this parliament, and yet they shall not 
see who hurts them. This counsel is not to be con- 



495 

temned, because it may do you good, and can do you 
no harm ; for the danger is past so soon (or as quickly) 
as you burn this letter ; and I hope God will give you 
grace to make good use of it, to whose holy protection I 
commend you." 

The lord Monteagle was, for some time, at a loss 
what judgment to form of this letter, and unresolved 
whether he should slight the advertisement or not ; and 
fancying it a trick of his enemies to frighten him into 
an absence from parliament, would have determined on 
the former, had his own safety only been in question ; 
but apprehending the king's life might be in danger, he 
took the letter at midnight to the earl of Salisbury, who 
was equally puzzled about the meaning of it ; and though 
he was inclined to think it merely a wild and waggish 
contrivance to alarm Monteagle, yet he thought proper 
to consult about it with the earl of Suffolk, lord cham- 
berlain. The expression "that the blow should come 
without knowing who hurt them" made them imagine 
that no time would be more proper than the time of par- 
liament, nor by any other way like to be attempted than 
by gunpowder, while the king was sitting in that assem- 
bly. The lord chamberlain thought this the more 
probable, because there was a great cellar under the par- 
liament chamber not used for any thing but wood or coal, 
belonging to Wineyard, the keeper of the palace ; and 
having communicated the letter to the earls Nottingham, 
Worcester, and Northampton, they proceeded no fur- 
ther till the king came from Royston on the 1st of No- 
vember. 

His majesty being shown the letter by the earls, who 
at the same time acquainted him with their suspicions, 
was of opinion that either nothing should be done or 
else enough to prevent the danger ; and that a search 
should be made on the day preceding that designed for 
the execution of this plot. 

Accordingly, on Monday the 4th of November, in the 
afternoon, the lord chamberlain, whose office it was to 
see all things put in readiness for the king's coming, 
accompanied by Monteagle, went to visit all places 



496 

about the parliament-house, and taking a slight occa- 
sion to see the cellar, observed only piles of billets and 
fagots, but in greater number than he thought Wine- 
yard could want for his own use. On his asking who 
owned the wood, and being told it belonged to one Mr. 
Percy, he began to have some suspicions, knowing him 
to be a rigid papist, and so seldom there, that he had no 
occasion for such a quantity of fuel ; and Monteagle 
confirmed him therein by observing that Percy had 
made him great professions of friendship. 

Though there were no other materials visible, yet 
Suffolk thought it was necessary to make a further 
search ; and upon his return to the king, a resolution 
was taken that it should be made in such a way as 
should be effectual, without creating an alarm. 

Sir Thomas Knevet, steward of Westminster, was 
accordingly ordered, under the pretext of searching for 
stolen tapestry hangings in that place, and other houses 
thereabouts, to remove the wood, and see if any thing 
was concealed underneath. This gentleman going at 
midnight, with several attendants, to the cellar, met 
Fawkes just coming out of it, booted and spurred, 
with a tinder box and three matches in his pockets ; 
and seizing him without any ceremony, or asking him 
any questions, as soon as the removal of the wood dis- 
covered the barrels of gunpowder, he caused him to be 
bound and properly secured. 

Fawkes, who was a hardened and intrepid villain, 
made no hesitation of avowing the design, and that it 
was to be executed on the morrow. He made the same 
acknowledgment at his examination before a committee 
of the council ; and though he did not deny having 
some associates in this conspiracy, yet no threats of 
torture could make him discover any of them ; he de- 
claring that " he was ready to die, and had rather suf- 
fer ten thousand deaths than willingly accuse his master, 
or any other." 

A number of the conspirators of this plot were ap- 
prehended ind executed ; several, however, succeeded 
in escaping from the country. 



497 

The lord Monteagle had a grant of two hundred 
pounds a year in land, and a pension of five hun- 
dred pounds for life, as a reward for discovering 
the letter which gave the first hint of the conspir- 
acy. The lords Stourton and Mordaunt, two catho- 
lics, were fined, the former £4,000, and the latter 
£10,000, by the Star-Chamber, because their ab- 
sence from parliament had occasioned a suspicion 
of their being made acquainted with the conspiracy. 

The anniversary of this providential deliverance 
was ordained to be forever commemorated by 
prayer and thanksgiving. 

The French Prophets. 

We find in ecclesiastical history many accounts given 
of enthusiasts who have arisen, pretending to be under 
the immediate inspiration of God, and to have the 
gift of foretelling future events, the gift of tongues, dis- 
cerning of spirits, <fec, as in the apostles' time. Among 
those who have made the greatest figure in modern 
times were the French prophets, who first appeared 
in Dauphiny and Vivarais, in France. In the year 
1688, five or six hundred protestants, of both sexes, 
gave themselves out to be prophets, and inspired of the 
Holy Ghost. They were people of all ages, without 
distinction, though the greatest part of them were boys 
and girls, from six or seven to twenty-five years of age. 
They had strange fits, which came upon them with 
tremblings and faintings as in a swoon, making them 
stretch out their arms and legs, and stagger several 
times before they dropped down. They struck them- 
selves with their hands, fell on their backs, shut their 
eyes, and heaved with their breasts. They remained 
a while in trances, and, coming out of them with 
twitchings, uttered all which came into their mouths. 
They said they saw the heavens open, the angels, para- 
dise, and hell. The least of their assemblies made up 
four or five hundred, and some of them amounted to 
even to three or four thousand persons. When the pro- 
phets had been for a while under agitations of body, they 
began to prophesy. The bin den of their prophecies, 



498 

was, " Amend your lives ; repent ye ; the end of ah 
things draws nigh.'" 

In the year 1706, three or four of these prophets 
went over into England, and carried their prophetic 
spirit with them, which discovered itself in the same 
way and manner, by ecstasies, agitations, and inspira- 
tions, as it had done in France ; and they propagated 
the like spirit to others, so that before the year was 
out, there were two or three hundred of these prophets 
in and about London, consisting of men, women, and 
children, who delivered four or five hundred warnings. 
The great thing pretended by their spirit was to 
give warning of the near approach of the kingdom 
of God, and the accomplishment of the Scriptures, 
concerning the neiv heaven and new earth, the kingdom 
of the Messiah, the first resurrection, the new Jerusalem 
descending from above, which they said was now even 
at the door ; that this great operation was to be wrought 
on the part of man by spiritual arms only, proceeding 
from the mouths of those who should, by inspiration, 
or the mighty gift of the Spirit, be sent forth in great 
numbers to labour in the vineyard ; that this mission of 
his servants should be attested by signs and wonders 
from heaven, by a deluge of judgments on the wicked 
throughout the world, as famine, pestilence, earthquakes, 
&c. They declared that all the great things they 
spoke of would be manifest over the whole earth within 
the term of three years. 

These prophets also pretended to have the gift of 
languages, of discerning the secrets of the heart, the 
gift of ministration of the same spirit to others by the 
laying on of the hands, and the gift of healing. 



Sabatai Sevi, the false Messiah. 

Since the coming of our Saviour, there has arisen, 
according to his prediction, among the Jews (who still 
look for the Messiah to come) many false Messiahs. 
The most distinguished of these impostors, in modern 



400 

times, was one Sabatai Sevi, who was born in Aleppo, 
and set himself up as the Messias in the year 1666. 

Having visited various places in the Turkish empire, 
Sabatai began in Jerusalem to reform the Jewish con- 
stitution. He had one Nathan for his Elias, or fore- 
runner, who prophesied that the Messiah should appear 
before the grand seignior in less than two years, and 
take from him his crown, and lead him in chains. 

At Gaza, Sabatai preached repentance, together with 
faith in himself, so effectually, that the people gave 
themselves up to their devotion and alms. The noise 
of this Messias now began to fill all places. Sabatai 
resolved to go to Smyrna, and then to Constanti- 
nople. The Jews throughout Turkey were in great 
expectation of glorious times. They were now devout 
and penitent, that they might not obstruct the good 
they hoped for. Some fasted so long that they were 
famished to death ; others buried themselves in the 
earth till their limbs grew stiff; with many other pain- 
ful penances. Sabatai, having arrived at Smyrna, 
styled himself the only and first-born Son of God, the 
Messias, the Saviour of Israel. Here he met with some 
opposition, but prevailed at last to such a degree, that 
some of his followers prophesied, and fell into strange 
ecstasies ; and four hundred men and women prophe- 
sied of his growing kingdom. The people were for a 
time possessed, and voices were heard from their bow- 
els ; some fell into trances, foamed at the mouth, re- 
counted their future prosperity, their visions of the 
Lion of Judah, and the triumph of Sabatai : all which, 
says the narrator, were certainly true, being the effects 
of diabolical delusions, as the Jews themselves have 
since confessed. Sabatai, now feeling his importance, 
ordered that the Jews should no longer in their syna- 
gogues, pray for the grand seignior (as they were 
wont to do), for it was an indecent thing to pray 
for him who was so shortly to be his captive. He 
also elected princes, to govern the Jews in their 
march towards the Holy Land, and to minister jus- 
tice to them when they should be possessed of it. 




SABATAI SEYI, THE FALSE MESSIAH, 

Being brought before the Grand Seignior, who, requiring a miracle 
which the impostor could not perform, he threatened him with 
death, unless he would turn Turk. Upon this he consented to 
turn Mahometan, to the great confusion of his followers. 



501 

The people were now pressing to see some miracle, to 
confirm their faith, and to convince the Gentiles. Here 
the impostor was puzzled, though any juggling trick 
would have served their turn. But the credulous peo- 
ple supplied this defect. When Sabatai was before the 
cadi (or justice of the peace), some affirmed that they 
saw a pillar of fire between him and the cadi ; and 
after some affirmed it, others were ready to swear it, and 
did swear it also.; and this was presently believed by 
the Jews of that city. He that" did not now believe him 
to be the Messias was to be shunned as an excommu- 
nicated person. 

From Smyrna, the impostor embarked for Constan- 
tinople, where he said God had called him, and where 
he had much to do. He had a long and troublesome 
voyage, and upon his arrival, the grand vizier sent for 
him, and confined him in a loathsome dungeon. The 
Jews in this city paid him their visits, and appeared to 
be as infatuated as those of Smyrna. Sabatai, after re- 
maining two months a prisoner in Constantinople, was 
sent by the grand vizier to the Dardanelli. The Jews 
here flocked in great numbers to the castle where he 
was confined, and treated him with great respect. They 
decked their synagogues with S. S. in letters of gold, 
and made a crown for him in the wall ; they attributed 
the same titles and prophecies to him which we apply 
to our Saviour. 

He was also, during this imprisonment, visited by pil- 
grims from all parts that heard his story. Among these 
was Nehemiah Cohen, from Poland, a man of great 
learning, who desired a conference with Sabatai, the re- 
sult of which convinced him that he was an impostor. 

Nehemiah accordingly informed the Turkish officers 
of state that Sabatai was a lewd and dangerous person, 
and that it was necessary to take him out of their way. 
The grand seignior being apprized of this, sent for 
Sabatai, who, much dejected, appears before him. 

The grand seignior required a miracle, and chooses 
one himself. It was this : that Sabatai should be strip- 
ped naked, and set for a mark for his archers to shoot 



502 

at ; and if the arrows did not pierce his flesh, he would 
own him to be the Messiah. Sabatai had not faith 
enough to bear up under so great a trial. The grand 
seignior let him know that he would forthwith impale 
him, and that the stake was prepared for him, unless he 
would turn Turk. Upon this he consented to turn Ma- 
hometan, to the great confusion of the Jews. 



Nonconformists. 

Those who refused to conform to the church of Eng- 
land were called nonconformists. This word is gene- 
rally used in reference to those ministers who were 
ejected from their living by an act of Uniformity, in 
1662. The number of these were about two thousand. 
However some affect to treat these men with indiffer- 
ence, and suppose that their consciences were more 
tender than they need be, it must be remembered, that 
they were men of as extensive learning, great abilities, 
and pious conduct as ever appeared. Mr. Locke, if his 
opinion has any weight, calls them " worthy, learned, 
pious orthodox divines, who did not throw themselves 
out of service, but were forcibly ejected." Mr. Bogue 
thus draws their character : "As to their public minis- 
tration" he says, " they were orthodox, experimental, 
serious, affectionate, regular, faithful, able, and popu- 
lar preachers. As to their moral qualities, they were 
devout and holy ; faithful to Christ and the souls of 
men ; wise and prudent ; of great liberality and kind- 
ness ; and strenuous advocates for liberty, civil and re- 
ligious. As to their intellectual qualities, they were 
learned, eminent, and laborious." These men were 
driven from their houses, from the society of their 
friends, and exposed to the greatest difficulties. Their 
burdens were greatly increased by the Conventicle act, 
whereby they were prohibited from meeting for any 
exercise of religion (above five in number) in any other 
manner than allowed by the liturgy or practice of the 
church of England. For the first offence the penalty 
was three months' imprisonment, or pay five pounds ; 



503 

for the second offence, six months' imprisonment, or 
ten pounds ; and for the third offence, to be banished 
to some of the American plantations for seven years, 
or pay one hundred pounds ; and in case they returned, 
to suffer death without benefit of clergy. By virtue of 
this act, the jails were quickly filled with dissenting 
protestants, and the trade of an informer was very gain- 
ful. So great was the severity of these times, says 
Neal, that they were afraid to pray in their families, 
if above four of their acquaintance, who came only to 
visit them, were present ; some families scrupled asking 
a blessing on their meat, if five strangers were at table. 

But this was not all ; to say nothing of the Test Act, 
in 1665, an act was brought into the House, to banish 
them from their friends (commonly called the Oxford 
Five Mile Act), by which all dissenting ministers, who 
would not take an oath, that it was not lawful, upon any 
pretence whatever, to take arms against the king, &c, 
were prohibited from coming within five miles of any city, 
town, corporate, or borough, or any place where they 
had exercised their ministry, and from teaching any 
school, on the penalty of forty pounds. Some few took 
the oath ; others could not, and consequently suffered 
the penalty. 

In 1663, " the mouths of the high church pulpiteers 
were encouraged to open as loud as possible. One, in 
his sermon before the House of Commons, told them, 
that the nonconformists ought not to tolerated, but 
to be cured by vengeance. He urged them to set fire 
to the fagot, and to teach them by scourges or scor- 
pions, and to open their eyes with gall." 

Such were the dreadful consequences of this intole- 
rant spirit, that it is supposed near eight thousand died 
in prison in the reign of Charles II. It is said, that Mr. 
Jeremiah White had carefully collected a list of those 
who had suffered between Charles II. and the revolu- 
tion, which amounted to sixty thousand. The same 
persecutions were carried on in Scotland ; and there, 
as well as in England, many, to avoid persecution, fled 
from their country. 



504 

But, notwithstanding all these dreadful and furious 
attacks upon the dissenters, they were not extirpated. 
Their very persecution was in their favour. The in- 
famous characters of their informers and persecutors ; 
their piety, and zeal, and fortitude, no doubt, had in- 
fluence on considerate minds ; and, indeed, they had 
additions from the established church, which " several 
clergymen in this reign deserted as a persecuting 
church, and took their lot among them." In addition 
to this, king James suddenly altered his measures, 
granted a universal toleration, and preferred dissenters 
to places of trust and profit, though it was evidently 
with a view to restore popery. 

King William coming to the throne, the famous To- 
leration Act passed, by which they were exempted from 
suffering the penalties above mentioned, and permission 
was given them to worship God according to the dic- 
tates of their own consciences. In the latter end of 
queen Anne's reign they began to be a little alarmed. 
An act of parliament passed, called the Occasional Con- 
formity Bill, which prevented any person in office un- 
der the government from entering into a meeting-house. 
Another, called the Schism Bill, had actually obtained 
the royal assent, which suffered no dissenters to edu- 
cate their own children, but required them to be put 
into the hands of conformists ; and which forbade all 
tutors and schoolmasters being present at any conven- 
ticle, or dissenting place of worship ; but the very day 
this iniquitous act was to have taken place, the queen 
died, (August 1, 1714.) 

His majesty king George I. being fully satisfied that 
these hardships were brought upon the dissenters for 
their steady adherence to the protestant succession in 
his illustrious house, against a tory and Jacobite minis- 
try, who were paving the way for a popish pretender, 
procured the repeal of them in the fifth year of his 
reign ; though a clause was left that forbade the mayor 
or other magistrate to go into any meeting for religious 
worship with the ensigns of his office. — Buck's Theo- 
logical Dictionary. 



505 



Scotch Covenanters. 

Scotland is among the last civilized countries where 
the horrors of religious persecution raged to any great 
extent. In 1581 the general assembly of Scotland 
drew up a confession of faith, or national covenant, 
condemning the episcopal government under the name 
of hierarchy, which was signed by James I., and which 
he enjoined on all his subjects. It was again sub- 
scribed in 1590 and 1596. The subscription was re- 
newed in 1638, and the subscribers engaged by oath to 
maintain religion in the same state as it was in 1580, 
reject all innovations introduced since that time. This 
oath, annexed to the confession of faith, received the 
name of Covenant, as those who subscribed it were 
called Covenanters. 

During the storm of religious persecution which 
raged in Scotland, the Covenanters were hunted from 
crag to glen, throughout the highlands. " The story 
of their sufferings is almost incredible. Nothing can 
be more affecting than the measures they took to en- 
joy the privileges of religious worship. Watches were 
stationed from hill to hill — men so sunburnt and worn 
out, that they could be hardly distinguished from the 
heather of the mountains — who gave a note of alarm 
on the approach of danger, and the Covenanters had 
time to disperse, before the bloody swords gleamed in 
the retreats in which they worshipped. In the gloomy 
caverns and recesses, made by the awful hand that 
fashioned Scotland's mountain scenery, these martyrs, 
each one mourning some dear friend, who had been 
hunted down by the destroyers, met and heard the 
mysterious words of God, and sung such wild songs of 
devotion, that they might have been thought the chant- 
ings of the mountain spirits. As their sufferings in- 
creased, their sermons and devotional exercises ap- 
proached nearer to the soul-chilling trumpetings of the 
ancient prophets, when they foresaw desolation coming 
out of the north like a whirlwind." 
22 



506 

The meeting of an assembly of Covenanters to heai 
the preaching of the word of God is thus beautifully- 
described by the Scottish poet, Grahame. 
" But years more gloomy followed ; and no more 
The assembled people dared, in face of day, 
To worship God, or even at the dead 
Of night, save when the wintry storm raved fierce, 
And thunder peals compell'd the men of blood 
To couch within their dens ; then dauntlessly 
The scattered few would meet, in some deep dell, 
By rocks o'er-canopied, to hear the voice, 
Their faithful pastor's voice ; he, by the gleam 
Of sheeted lightnings, oped the sacred book, 
And words of comfort spake : Over their souls 
His soothing accents came — as to her young 
The heath-fowl's plumes, when, at the close of eve, 
She gathers in, mournful, her brood dispersed 
By murderous sport, and o'er the remnant spreads 
Fondly her wings ; close nestling 'neath her breast 
They, cherish' d, cower amid the purple blooms." 



The following, copied from a monument in Edin- 
burgh in memory of the Covenanters, gives an ac- 
count of the number who suffered : 

"From May 27th, 1661, that the most noble 
Marquis of Argyle was beheaded, to the 17th of 
February, 1688, that Mr. James Ren wick suffered, 
were in one way or another, murdered and destroy- 
ed for the same cause, about eighteen thousand, of 
whom were executed at Edinburgh, about one 
hundred of noblemen, gentlemen, ministers and 
others — noble martyrs for Jesus Christ. The 
most of them lie here." [For a particular account 
of the cause and manner of their sufferings, see the 
Cloud of Witnesses; Cruikshank's and De Foe's 
Histories.] 



50? 

Howard, the Philanthropist. 

John Howard, Esq., the celebrated philanthropist, 
was born at Hackney, in England, about the year 1727. 
His father died while he was young, and by his direc- 
tion the son was apprenticed to a wholesale grocer ; 
but this business neither suiting his health or disposi- 
tion, and a handsome fortune falling into his hands, he 
bought out his time before its regular expiration, and 
commenced his first travels on the continent. After 
the death of his first wife, Mr. Howard, in 1756, made 
a voyage in order to view Lisbon after the earthquake 
at that place, but was taken by a French privateer, and 
suffered in his confinement. By this means his atten- 
tion seems to have been first excited to compassionate 
those persons " who are sick, and in prison." 

Upon his return from the continent, he married the 
second time, but his wife dying a short time after his 
marriage, he retired to an estate he purchased in Bed- 
fordshire, where he very much gained the esteem and 
affection of the ppor by building them cottages, em- 
ploying the industrious, relieving the sick, and edu- 
cating the children of the poor. In 1773 he served the 
office of sheriff for the county, which brought him fur- 
ther acquainted with the misery of prisons ; and from 
this he commenced his career of benevolence and glory. 

During the last seventeen years of his life he visited 
every country in Europe, exploring their prisons and 
dungeons, and relieving the miseries of the distressed. 
He also published a number of works on the state of 
prisons, hospitals, &c. In 1774 he received the thanks 
of the House of Commons for his inquiries and exer- 
tions. Mr. Howard's character is well drawn by the 
celebrated Mr. Burke, who, speaking of him, says, " I 
cannot name this gentleman without remarking that 
his labours and writings have done much to open the 
eyes and hearts of mankind. He has visited all Eu- 
rope, not to survey the sumptuousness of palaces, nor 
the stateliness of temples ; not to make accurate mea- 
surement of the remains of ancient grandeur, nor to 



508 

form a scale of the curiosities of modern art ; not to 
collect medals, nor to collate manuscripts ; but to dive 
into the depths of dungeons, to plunge into the infections 
of hospitals ; to survey the mansions of sorrow and pain ; 
to take guage and dimensions of misery, depression, 
and contempt ; to remember the forgotten ; to attend to 
the neglected ; to visit the forsaken ; and to compare and 
collate the distresses of all men in all countries. His 
plan is original, and as full of genius as humanity. It 
is a voyage of philanthropy — a circumnavigation of 
charity" 

Mr. Howard commenced his last journey in July, 
1789, in which he proposed to visit Turkey, Russia, 
and other parts of the east, and not to return under three 
years ; withal apprehending that he, very probably, 
never might return, which proved to be the event ; for 
while he was at Cherson, a Russian settlement, near 
the northern extremity of the Black Sea, he visited a 
young lady at some distance in a malignant fever, 
caught the fatal infection, and died January 20, 1790. 

" And now, Benevolence ! thy rays divine 
Dart round the globe from Zembla to the line;* 
O'er each dark prison plays the cheering light, 
Like northern lustres o'er the vault of night — 
From realm to realm, with cross or crescent crown 'd, 
Where'er mankind and misery are found, 
O'er burning sands, deep waves, or wilds of snow, 
Thy Howard, journeying, seeks the house of wo." 



84. Modern Infidelity. 

Previous to the French revolution, Voltaire and 
some others formed a set design to destroy the Chris- 
tian religion. For this purpose, they engaged, at dif- 
ferent periods, a number of men of distinguished talents 
power, and influence ; all deadly enemies to the gos- 
pel; men of profligate principles, and profligate lives. 

These men distinguished themselves with diligence, 
courage, activity, and perseverance, in the propagation 
of their sentiments. Books were written and published 
in innumerable multitudes, in which infidelity was 



509 

brought down to the level of peasants and even of chil- 
dren, and poured into the cottage and school. Others 
of a superior kind crept into the shop and the farm- 
house ; and others, of a still higher class, found their 
way to the drawing-room, the university, and the palace. 
By these and other efforts, infidelity was spread with 
astonishing rapidity in many parts of Europe, particu- 
larly in France. 

In the year 1776, Dr. Adam Weishaupt, professor of 
the canon law in the university of Ingoldstadt, in Ba- 
varia, established the society of the Illuminati. This 
society was distinguished beyond all others for cun- 
ning, mischief, an absolute destitution of conscience, an 
absolute disregard of all the interests of man, and a 
torpid insensibility to all moral obligation. Their doc- 
trines were, that God is nothing; that government is 
a curse ; that the possession of property is robbery ; 
that chastity and natural affection are mere prejudices , 
and that adultery, assassination, poisoning, and other 
crimes of a similar nature, are lawful, and even vir- 
tuous. 

The disciples of Voltaire, finding this system one of 
more perfect corruption than their own, immediately 
united in its interests, and eagerly entered into all its 
plans and purposes. These legions of infidelity, united, 
went forward with astonishing success, till their abomi- 
nable doctrines infected all classes of the French people. 
The bloody storm of the French revolution com- 
menced. Then it was that infidelity obtained a com- 
plete triumph ; the dagger of the assassin, the axe of 
the executioner, the infuriated mob, were now let 
loose, and thousands and tens of thousands perished ; 
and the national assembly, in a public decree, declared 
that " there is no God, and that death is an eternal 



Voltaire laboured through a long life to diffuse the 
poison of infidelity. In life he was pre-eminent in 
guilt, and at death, in misery. He had for years 
been accustomed to call the adorable Saviour " the 
wretch," and to vow that he would crush him. He 



510 

closed many of his letters to his infidel friend with 
these words — " Crush the wretch." This apostle of 
infidelity, being laid upon his death-bed, was in the ut- 
most horror of mind. In the first days of his illness, 
he showed some signs of wishing to return to that God 
whom he had so often blasphemed. He made a de- 
claration, he in fact renounced his infidelity, but in 
vain ; despair and rage succeeded in such a manner, 
that the physicians who were called in to administer 
relief retired, declaring the death of the impious man 
too terrible to be witnessed. 

In one of his last visits, the doctor found him in the 
greatest agonies, exclaiming, with the utmost horror, 
" I am abandoned by God and man." He then said, 
" Doctor, I will give you half of what I am worth, if 
you will give me six months' life." The doctor an- 
swered, " Sir, you cannot live six weeks." Voltaire 
replied, " Then I shall go to hell, and you will go with 
me !" and soon after expired. 

Thomas Paine, a political and infidel writer, was 
born in England, in 1737, and bred a stay-maker. 
Coming to America, he published a number of pam- 
phlets, which had a powerful effect in favour of the 
American cause ; particularly that entitled, " Common 
Sense." He went to London in 1790, and published 
" The Rights of Man." To avoid prosecution, he fled 
to France, where he connected himself with the leaders 
of infidelity, and was chosen a member of the national 
assembly. Being sentenced to death by the revolu- 
tionary government, he was saved from the guillotine 
through the intercession of a number of American 
citizens then in Paris. During his imprisonment in 
that city he debased himself by writing a deistical 
book, called, " The £ge of Reason" a work which has 
stamped his name with infamy. 

" In this performance is found nothing new as to 
objections against Christianity, He takes the ground 
long occupied by infidels. In the manner of his writing 
there is a kind of novelty. In rashness, inconsist- 
ency, misrepresentation, ridicule, and false reasoning 



511 

few men, perhaps, on any subject, have ever surpassed 
him." Mr. Paine speaks respectfully of Jesus Christ, 
but reprobates revealed religion as the origin of all 
human misery. His words are : — " The morality that 
he preached and practised was of the most benevolent 
kind. He preached most excellent morality." Again 
he says : — " The most detestable wickedness, the most 
horrid cruelties, and the greatest miseries that have 
afflicted the human race have had their origin in this 
thing called revelation, or revealed religion." 

He tells us : — " The word of God cannot exist in 
any written or human language ;" and in the same 
work he allows it possible for the Almighty to make a 
communication immediately to men. This is saying 
God can reveal truth to men ; but such a revelation 
cannot exist among men — which, in effect, is saying 
nothing. 

*' Paine's method is, first, to misrepresent a fact, or 
assume a truth, and then cry out against a creature of 
his own imagination. None but a man of depraved 
morals, and a bad heart, can read his book without 
indignation. A bold, profane, and daring spirit runs 
through his whole work. He speaks of sacred things 
with indecency ; he makes ridicule supply the place of 
solid argument; he is engaged with uncommon zeal 
to load men highly esteemed with abusive epithets ; 
he calls Moses a chief assassin; Joshua, Samuel, and 
David monsters and impostors ; the Jewish kings a 
parcel of rascals ; the prophets liars, and St. Paul a 
fool." 

Paine died in . New York, in the year 1809. For 
some time previous to his death, he so degraded him- 
self by his intemperate habits, that he was shunned by 
the respectable part of his associates. He lingered 
out a dark and gloomy period of several months, in a 
sullen, determined opposition to every religious thought 
or suggestion ; he evinced a continued and marked 
hostility to the ministers of the gospel, and would not 
permit them, under any pretext, to visit him. The 
Rev. Mr. Ketchum, however, in the common garb of 



512 

a citizen, succeeded in approaching him, and gained 
his attention in some desultory conversation ; but he 
had no sooner indirectly mentioned the name of Jesus, 
than the enraged infidel, lost to all sense of decorum, 
actually drove him from his presence. But though he 
abhorred the sound of that name, yet Dr. Manly in- 
forms us, in his letter respecting Paine's death, that 
whenever he fell into paroxysms of pain, which were 
frequent before his death, he would cry out, without 
intermission, " O Lord, help me ! O Jesus, help me ! 
God help me ! Jesus Christ help me !" &c. Dr. M. 
also states that he would not be left alone night or 
day; and would scream and halloo if left but for a 
minute. 

The following is from good authority. A lady who 
resided in the neighbourhood of Paine, in his last ill- 
ness occasionally administered to his necessities. One 
day he asked her if she had ever read his " Age of 
Reason." She answered in the affirmative ; he then 
wished to know her opinion of that book ; she said she 
thought it the most dangerous insinuating book she had 
ever seen ; that the more she read, the more she wished 
to read, and the more she found her mind estranged 
from all that is good ; and that, from a conviction of its 
evil tendency, she had burnt it. Paine replied to this, 
that he wished all who had read it had been as wise as 
she, and added, " If ever the devil had an agent on 
earth, I have been one." 

All who saw him concur in describing him as ex- 
hibiting one of the most peculiarly awful visages that 
ever saddened the bed of death. It was an unique 
fa?-e, possessing an assemblage of every vicious and 
dismal passion ; and so terrific as to deter many of his 
acquaintance from repeating their visit. 



Worship of the Grand Lama. 

The Grand Lama is a name given to the sovereign 
pontiff, or high-priest, of the Thibetian Tartars, who re- 
sides at a vast palace on a mountain near the banks of 



si a 




WORSHIP OF THE GRAND LAMA. 

The Grand Lama, or High Priest of the Thibetian Tartars, re- 
sides at a vast palace on a mountain near Lassa. He is wor- 
shiped by the natives of Thibet, and by tribes of Tartars, who 
come every year from various parts of Asia and worship at his 
shrine. 

22* 



514 

the Burampooter, about seven miles from Lassa. The 
foot of the mountain is inhabited by twenty thousand 
lamas or priests, who have their separate apartments 
round about the mountain, and according to their quality 
are placed nearer or at a greater distance from the 
sovereign pontiff. He is not only worshipped by the 
natives of Thibet, but also by the various tribes of 
heathen Tartars, who roam through the greater part of 
Asia. The more remote Tartars are said, absolutely 
to regard him as the Deity himself, and call him God, 
the everlasting Father of Heaven. They believe him 
to be immortal, and endowed with all knowledge and 
virtue. Every year they come from different parts to 
woiship, and make rich offerings at his shrine; even 
the emperor of China, who is a Manchon Tartar, wor- 
ships him, and entertains, at a great expense, in the 
palace at Pekin an inferior lama, deputed as his nuncio 
from Thibet. 

The grand lama, it has been said, is never to be seen 
but in a secret place of his palace, amidst a great num- 
ber of lamps, sitting cross-legged on a cushion, and 
decked all over with precious stones, where at a dis- 
tance the people prostrate themselves before him, it not 
being lawful for any so much as to kiss his feet. He 
returns not the least sign of respect, nor even speaks to 
the greatest princes ; but only lays his hand upon their 
heads, and they are fully persuaded they receive from 
thence a full forgiveness of all their sins. 

It is the opinion of his worshippers that when the 
grand lama seems to die, either of old age or infirmity, 
his soul, in fact, only quits a crazy habitation to look 
for one younger or better ; and is discovered again in 
the body of some child, by certain tokens known 
only to the lamas or priests, in which order he always 
appears. 

Almost all nations of the east, except the Mahome- 
tans, believe the metempsychosis as the most important 
article of their faith ; especially the inhabitants of 
Thibet and Ava, the Peguans, Siamese, the greatest 
part of the Chinese and Japanese, and the Moguls and 



515 

Kalmucks, who changed the religion of Shamanism for 
the worship of the grand lama. According to the doc- 
trine of this metempsychosis, the soul is always in 
action, and never at rest ; for no sooner does she leave 
her old habitation than she enters a new one. The 
dalai lama, being a divine person, can find no better 
lodging than the body of his successor ; or the Fo, re- 
siding in the dalai lama, which passes to his successor ; 
and this being a god, to whom all things are known, 
the dalai lama is therefore acquainted with every thing 
which happened during his residence in his former body. 

This religion is said to have been of three thousand 
years standing ; and neither time nor the influence of 
men has had the power of shaking the authority of the 
grand lama. This theocracy extends as fully to tem- 
poral as to spiritual concerns. 

Though in the grand sovereignty of the lamas the 
temporal power has been occasionally separated from 
the spiritual by slight revolutions, they have always 
been united again after a time ; so that in Thibet the 
whole constitution rests on the imperial pontificate in 
a manner elsewhere unknown. For as the Thibetians 
suppose that the grand lama is animated by the good 
Shaka, or Fo, who at the decease of one lama transmi- 
grates into the next, and consecrates him an image of 
the divinity, the descending chain of lamas is continued 
down from him in fixed degrees of sanctity ; so that a 
more firmly established sacerdotal government, in doc- 
trine, customs, and institutions, than actually reigns 
over this country, cannot be conceived. The supreme 
manager of temporal affairs is no more than the viceroy 
of the sovereign priest, who, conformably to the dic- 
tates of his religion, dwells in divine tranquillity in a 
building that is both temple and palace. If some of his 
votaries in modern times have dispensed with the ado- 
ration of his person, still certain real modifications of 
the Shaka religion is the only faith they follow. The 
state of sanctity which that religion inculcates consists 
in monastic continence, absence of thought, and the 
perfect repose of nonentity 



516 

It has been observed that the religion of Thibet is 
the counterpart of the Roman Catholic, since the in- 
habitants of that country use holy water and a singing 
service ; they also offer alms, prayers, and sacrifices for 
the dead. They have a vast number of convents filled 
with monks and friars, amounting to thirty thousand ; 
who, besides the three vows of poverty, obedience, and 
chastity, make several others. They have their con- 
fessors, who are chosen by their superiors, and have 
licenses from their lamas, without which they cannot 
hear confessions or impose penances They make use 
of beads. 



Zeigenbalg and Swartz, the Danish Mis- 
sionaries. 

The first protestant mission in India was founded by 
Bartholomew Zeigenbalg, at Tranquebar, on the Coro- 
mandel coast, about the year 1707. Zeigenbalg was 
ordained by the bishop of Zealand, in the twenty-third 
year of his age, and sailed for India in 1705. In the 
second year of his ministry he founded a Christian 
church among the Hindoos, which has been extending 
its limits to the present time. He went on this mission 
under the direction of Frederic IV., king of Denmark; 
he was also patronized in Great Britain by " the Soci- 
ety for promoting Christian Knowledge." Principally 
through his great labours, a grammar and dictionary 
were formed, and the Bible was translated into the Ta- 
mul tongue, after his having devoted fourteen years to 
the work. Zeigenbalg died at the early age of thirty- 
six years. Perceiving that his last hour was at hand, 
he called his Hindoo congregation, and partook of the 
holy communion, " amidst ardent prayers and tears ;" 
and afterwards, addressing them in a solemn manner, 
took an affectionate leave of them. Being reminded by 
them of the faith of the apostle of the Gentiles, at the 
prospect of death, who " desired to be with Christ, as 
far better," he said, " That is also my desire. Wash- 



ed from my sins in his blood, and clothed with his 
righteousness, I shall enter into his heavenly kingdom. 
I pray that the things which I have spoken may be 
fruitful. Throughout this whole warfare I have entirely 
endured by Christ; and now I can say through him, ' I 
have fought the good fight ; I have finished my course ; 
I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for 
me a crown of righteousness ;' " which words having 
spoken, he desired that the Hindoo children about 
his bed, and that the multitude about the house, might 
sing the hymn beginning " Jesus, my Saviour Lord." 
When finished, he yielded up his spirit, amidst the 
rejoicings and lamentations of a great multitude ; some 
rejoicing at his triumphant death and early entrance 
into glory, and others lamenting the early loss of 
their faithful apostle, who had first brought the light 
of the gospel to their dark region from the western 
world. 

The Rev. Christian F. Swartz undertook a mission 
to India, under the government of Denmark, in 1750, 
and after labouring many years at Tranquebar, and in 
the neighbouring country, he finally removed to Tan- 
jore, where he continued till his death, in 1798. 

His unblameable conduct, and devotedness to the 
cause of his master, gave him a surprising influence 
over all classes, and secured the confidence of the bigot- 
ed Hindoo. Such was the respect that the Hindoos 
had for Mr. Swartz, that he could go through the coun- 
try unarmed and unhurt in time of war, when parties 
of armed men and robbers infested the country. On 
seeing him they would say, " Let him alone, he is a 
man of God." He twice saved the fort of Tanjore, 
when the credit of the English was lost, and the credit 
of the rajah also. On the view of an approaching 
enemy the people of the country refused to supply 
the fort with provisions ; and the streets were covered 
with the dead. But upon the bare word of Mr. 
Swartz that they should be paid, they brought in a 
plentiful supply. He was appointed guardian to the 
family of the deceased king of Tanjore, and employ- 



518 

ed repeatedly as a mediator between the English govern- 
ment and the country powers. The last twenty years 
of his life were spent in the education and religious in- 
struction of children, particularly those of poor parents, 
whom he maintained and instructed gratuitously, and at 
his death willed his property to the mission at Tan- 
jore. His success was uncommon. It is said he reck- 
oned two thousand persons savingly converted by his 
means. 

After this apostolical and venerable man had laboured 
fifty years in evangelizing the Hindoos, so sensible 
were they of the blessing, that his death was consider- 
ed as a public calamity. An innumerable multitude at- 
tended the funeral. The Hindoo rajah " shed a flood 
of tears over the body, and covered it with a gold cloth." 
His memory is still blessed among the people.* 

The following beautiful anecdote is related by bishop 
Middleton, of this exemplary soldier of the cross. 
" When lying apparently lifeless, Gericke, a worthy 
fellow labourer in the service of the same society, who 
imagined the immortal spirit had actually taken its 
flight, began to chant over his remains a stanza of the 
favourite hymn which used to soothe and elevate him 
in his lifetime. The verses were finished without a 
sign of recognition or sympathy from the still form be- 
fore him ; but when the last clause was over, the voice 
which was supposed to be hushed in death took up the 
second stanza of the same hymn, completed it with dis- 
tinct and articulate utterance, and then was heard no 
more !" 

* Dr. Buchanan. 



519 



MODERN MISSIONARY, 



AND OTHER 



BENEYOLENT ENTERPRISES 



In the year 1796 the London Missionary Society 
sent out to Otaheite, and other islands of the South 
Seas, a number of missionaries, for the purpose of 
Christianizing the natives. They were gladly re- 
ceived, as well as several others that were after- 
wards sent out in the year 1800. In consequence 
of disturbances in Otaheite in 1799, several of the 
missionaries were obliged to take refuge in New 
South Wales, some of whom afterwards returned 
to the islands. For fifteen years the missionaries 
labored with little or no appearance of success, and 
were almost discouraged. The hopes and expec- 
tations of the friends of the mission, in respect to 
the success of their endeavors to establish Chris^ 
tianity in these islands, were nearly lost. 

But in 1812, Pomare, the king, declared his full 
conviction of the truth of the gospel, his determi- 
nation to worship the true God, and his desire to 
make a public profession of his faith by being bap- 
tized. About the same time several other natives 
embraced Christianity. In 1815 the missionaries 
estimated the professed worshipers of the true God 
at five hundred, among whom were several leading 
chiefs. In this year, the idolatrous chiefs in Ota- 
heite formed a conspiracy, and resolved to massa- 
cre the praying people. They, being informed of 
their danger, fled to the neighboring island of 
Eimeo. The pagans then quarrelled among them- 
selves, and the chief instigators of the plot were 



520 

slain. They were, however, still resolved on war, 
and for some time the issue was doubtful ; but 
Pomare was finally restored to the government of 
Otaheite and its dependencies November, 1815. 
" This was the dawn of a most glorious day in this 
and the neighboring islands." Pomare constituted 
as chiefs many of those who had made a public 
profession of their faith. The people, assisted by 
their chiefs, demolished their Morais, overthrew 
the altars, and burned their gods in the fire. Idol- 
atry was at once abolished, the worship of Jehovah 
substituted in its place, numerous buildings were 
immediately erected for public worship and schools, 
in every district in the island. 

In 1812, "The American Board of Commission- 
ers for Foreign Missions," and in the same year 
Messrs. Judson, Nott, Hall, Newell and Rice were 
appointed their missionaries. They arrived in Cal- 
cutta in June. While on their passage, Mr. Judson 
and his wife, and Mr. Rice, changed their minds 
on the subject of baptism, and adopted those views 
held by the Baptists. This circumstance led to the 
establishment of the Burman mission, and in the 
formation of the Baptist General Convention in the 
United States. 

In July, 1813, Mr. Judson and wife arrived at 
Rangoon. The Baptist Board of Foreign Missions 
resolved to sustain this mission ; and accordingly, 
in 1815, they sent Mr. Hough, a printer, and lady, 
to accompany the two solitary missionaries. For 
six years had the untiring Judson and his wife la- 
bored before any fruits were produced. But on 
the 27th of June, 1819, their hearts were gladden- 
ed by the baptism of Moung N"aw, the first that 
occurred in the Burman empire. Soon after, others 
embraced the Christian religion, which greatly en- 
raged the king. In 1823, a war broke out between 
the Burmans and the British ; upon which the mis- 
sionaries were committed to prison, and when the 



521 

English ships arrived, orders were given to have 
them executed the moment the first shot was fired 
upon the town. But after the English fired, the exe- 
cutioners, instead of performing the office, shrunk, 
terrified, into one corner of the prison. As the 
firing continued, they fled from the prison ; when 
about fifty Burmans rushed in, drew them out, and 
almost literally carried them on the points of their 
spears to the seat of judgment, where they were 
made to sit upon their knees, with their bodies 
leaning forward, for the convenience of the execu- 
tioner, who at that moment was ordered to behead 
them ; when, to their inexpressible joy, the English 
troops came up, and released them from the malice 
of the Burmans. 

After being imprisoned and subjected to the op- 
pressive yoke of the natives for nearly two years, 
Mr. Judson was appointed to act as translator and 
interpreter to the Burmese army; and the mission- 
aries felt that they were once more free. The affec- 
tionate courage of Mrs. Judson tended greatly to 
alleviate the sufferings of her husband; she, how- 
ever, died soon after his release. 

Since that time the mission has assumed a more 
interesting character. The number of converts has 
increased, and numbers of the natives are success- 
fully preaching the gospel to their ignorant and 
idolatrous countrymen. 

The American Mission to the Sandwich Islands, 
in the North Pacific Ocean, has proved quite satis- 
factory in elevating a race of idolatrous savages to 
civilization and Christianity. 

In the year 1819 Tarn ehameha, king of the Sand- 
wich Islands, died, and was succeeded by his son 
Rihoriho. This young prince, in the early part of 
November, 1819, gave orders for the destruction 
of the monuments of Owyhee, and a few days after 
sent the same orders to the other islands, which 
were promptly obeyed. In Atooi, the Morals and 



522 

the consecrated buildings, with the idols, were set 
on fire the first evening after the order arrived. 
The same was done in all the islands. These events 
took place only a few days after the first mission- 
aries sailed from Boston. 

This change appears to have been effected by the 
reports of what had been done in the Society islands, 
the advice of foreigners, and some of the more in- 
telligent chiefs. " The spell of diabolical enchant- 
ment was broken ; the priests, having lost their 
proud and tyrannical pre-eminence, deserted their 
altars of abomination, the inveterate customs of 
three thousand years were abolished, and the peo- 
ple were left without the forms of any religion. 
Thus the Lord prepared the way for the introduc- 
tion of the gospel into these islands." 

One of the principal events which seems to have 
led to the establishment of this mission was the re- 
ligious education of Henry Obookiah, a native of 
Owyhee, by the Rev. S. J. Mills, a zealous friend 
of missions. Obookiah was left an orphan in his 
native country, by one of those exterminating wars 
which often happened there, at the age of ten or 
twelve years. In a few years after he was taken 
by an American captain to the United States, and 
landed at New Haven, Conn., in 1809. While at 
Xew Haven, Mr. Mills, then a student of Yale Col- 
lege, conceived the plan of educating Obookiah as 
missionary to his native island. Obookiah soon 
became hopefully pious, and strongly advocated a 
mission to his countrymen, in which he ardently 
longed to engage. He, however, died at the For- 
eign Mission School at Cornwall, Conn., Feb. 17th, 
1818 ; but " his mantle fell" upon others, and three 
missionaries, an agriculturist, mechanic, printer, 
and physician, with their families, and four native 
youths who had been educated as teachers at Corn- 
wall, were sent out by the American Hoard of For- 
eign Missions, and sailed from Boston Oct. 23d, 



523 

1819, and arrived off Owyhee March 30th, 1820. 
These missionaries were cordially received by the 
natives, and immediately engaged in the duties of 
the mission. They found the encouragement so 
great, that they sent to the Board for more labor- 
ers. Accordingly, five missionaries, with their 
families, embarked at New Haven, Nov. 19th, 1822, 
and arrived at the Sandwich islands April 27th, 
1823. In 1823 they were joined by the Rev. Mr. 
Ellis, with two pious Otaheitans from the Society 
islands. 

Colonization in Africa appears to have been con- 
templated as early as 1780. The " Society for the 
Abolition of the Slave Trade," was introduced into 
the British Parliament by Wilberforce the Philan- 
thropist. 

The colony of Sierra Leone was commenced prin- 
cipally by the slaves who served under the British 
standard during the American revolutionary war. 
About four hundred of these slaves found their way 
to London, and were subject to every misery and 
vice. A committee was formed for their relief; 
they were embarked for Sierra Leone, and arrived 
May 9th, 1787. After struggling through many 
difficulties, the establishment was transferred to the 
British government in 1808. Since this time the 
colony has enjoyed a great degree of prosperity, 
and large accessions have been made by the vigi- 
lance of the British cruisers in rescuing from slave- 
ships many an African who has been torn from his 
country and sold into bondage. 

In 1817, a number of philanthropists in the United 
States, touched with commiseration at the degra- 
ded situation of many of the free colored people, 
met at Washington and laid the foundation of the 
" American Colonization Society." Their object 
was to establish a colony to which the free colored 
people of the United States might emigrate and en- 
joy among themselves the blessings of free govern- 



524 

ment, and to have an asylum for slaves recaptured 
from slave ships. 

Samuel J. Mills and Ebenezer Burgess, in 1817, 
were sent out as agents of the Society ; a territory, 
which was called Liberia, was purchased by Lieut. 
Stockton, of the U. S. Navy. To this place the 
colonists were removed from Sierra Leone in 1821, 
and the foundation of Monrovia was laid. In Aug., 
1822, Jehudi Ashmun, with a company of emi- 
grants, arrived as colonial agent. He found the 
colonists feeble, houseless, disheartened, and de- 
fenceless ; soon after his arrival the colony, which 
could muster only twenty-eight effective men, was 
attacked by more than eight hundred savages. By 
his energy and prowess they were driven back. 
Intent upon the destruction of this little band, the 
savages, with increased numbers and redoubled 
fury, in a few days renewed their attack, and were 
again repulsed. Under the management of Mr. 
Ashmun this feeble band became a nation in minia- 
ture. " From a chaos of heterogeneous materials 
he formed a well organized community of freemen. 
Like the patriarchs of old, he was their captain, 
their lawgiver, judge, priest, and governor." 

Bible Societies — Before the art of printing was 
discovered, it is said that it would cost a poor man 
thirteen years of hard labor to obtain a copy of the 
Bible, so great was the expense of furnishing a 
manuscript copy. But now, through the provi- 
dence of God, so great has been the change, that 
scarcely any person who lives in a Christian coun- 
try, and sincerely desires the Bible, need remain a 
day without this precious gift of heaven. 

The formation of the " British and Foreign Bible 
Society" is justly considered a new and important 
era in the Bible cause. This society was formed 
in London on the 7th of March, 1804, by an assem- 
bly consisting of about three hundred persons of 
different '1 eligious denominations. 



CONTENTS. 



Subjects noted in Italics, accompanied with Engravings. 



Page. 
Alaric the Goth, . . . 341 
Alban, British Martyr, 429 
Albatross, Remark, acc't, 124 
Albigenses in France, . 455 
Alexander the Great, 313 
Alfred the Great, . . 357 
Alps, Ascent of the . . 167 
Anger and HI will, » 14-90 
Askew, Ann, martyrdom, 487 
Assyrian Monarchy, . 295 
Attila, (scourge of God,) 342 

Avarice, 201 

Awakened Sinner, . . 94 

Backslider, The . . . 139 

Bible, translation of the 465 

Blindness, Spiritual . . 225 

Bridge, Safe .... 204 

Bridge, Unsafe ... 210 

Carthage, destruction of, 321 
CENTURiEs-First, 323. Sec- 
ond, 328. Third, 332. 
Fourth, 336. Fifth, 340. 
Sixth,344. Seventh, 848. 
Eighth, 352. Ninth,355. 
Tenth, 358. Eleventh, 
361. Twelfth,364. Thir- 
teenth, 367. Fourteenth, 
870. Fifteenth,374. Six- 
teenth,379. Seventeenth 
383. Eighteenth, 388. 
Nineteenth, 392. 
Cesar, Julius .... 322 
Charles I, execution of . 386 
Charity or Love, ... 61 
Charlemagne crowned, 355 
China, Persecutions in . 478 
Christian hope, . . 58 



Page. 
Christianity intro. Britain, 420 
Christian Church, . . 192 
Chronological Table, . 397 
Columbus disco. America, 377 
Cold, effects of ... 169 
Constantine, vision of . 435 
Concealed Attack, . . 155 
Covenanters, Scotch, . 505 
Crimean War, (Russia) 395 
Cromwell, Oliver, . 30-387 
Cross Providences, . . 161 
Cyrus takes Babylon, . 308 

Dance of Death, . . 232 

Dark Ages, .... 358 

Darkness and Sunlight, 112 
Deceit, .... 91-14 

Deliverer, Unexpected, 125 

Death's doings, . . . 228 

Debt, dangers of, . . 150 

Deities, Heathen, . . 53 

Demon, Lying, . . . 238 

Dependence, Mutual, . 167 

Dr. Doddridge's dream, 254 

Druids, account of, . . 423 
Drunkard, description of, 93 

Eagle, Parent, ... 82 
Egypt, ancient, . . . 298 
End of Human Greatness, 262 
English Martyrs, . . 485 
England, Commonwealth, 387 

Envy, 26 

Expectation, Christ'n,216-219 

Faith, Hope and Love, . 56 
Faith, Trials of, . . . 143 
Fear and Hope, ... 71 
Food Providentially sup., 127 



CONTENTS. 



Four Fatal Steps, 
Future of the Righteous, 
French Prophets, 

Fraud, 

Future of the Wicked, 



Page. 
150 
275 
497 
15 
268 



Gallileo, the Philosopher, 29 
Gardiner, Col., ... 41 
Garriek and Dr. Johnson, 231 
Glory, life of, ... . 252 
Gluttony, .... 16 

Godliness, 195 

Gotha, Religion of the, 439 
Grace, life of, ... . 252 
Greatness, end of human, 262 
Grecian divinities, . . 302 
Grecian States, . . . 300 
Grecian Monarchy, . . 313 
Gunpowder Plot, . . 492 

Hampden, John, . . . 385 

Hardness of heart, . . 224 

Heathenism, .... 46 

Heavenly Shepherd, . . 245 

Heart, Unregenerate, . 12 

Hebrews or Israelites, . 300 

Hindoo Mothers, ... 52 

History, Ancient, . . 291 

History, Modern, . . 322 

Holbein's Painting, . . 232 
Hope, . 59-71-102-195-218 

Howard, philanthropist, 507 

Human Life, vision of, . 5 

Humility, 217 

Huss, John, . . 375-470 

Ignorance and False Philo- 
sophy, 179 

Ignius Fatuus, or False 
Light, 130 

Infidelity, Modern, . . 508 

Imagination, Philosophy 
and Faith, .... 64 

Incomprehensible, (The 
Deity,) 185 

Inquisition, .... 367 



Jerome of Praugue, . . 470 
Jerusalem, destruction of, 411 

Jesuits, 380 

Jeweler, remark, account, 42 
Joan of Arc, .... 377 

Juggernaut, .... 50 

Justice, ...... 118 

Justice, Impartial, 121-122 
Justification, .... 109 

Kingdom yet to come, . 294 
Knighthood, or Chivalry, 364 
Knowledge, .... 195 
Koran, account of, . . 446 

Lama, Grand, worship of, 511 
Lamb, taking of the, . 248 
Lamb, Scottish Legend, 247 
Licentiousness, . . 16-91 
Life, Human, Future of 5 
Lives, three, .... 250 

Lollards, 468 

Love, 56-60 

Lucretia, death of, . . 320 
Lust of the Eye, and Lust 

of the Flesh, ... 199 
Luther, Martin, . 37 9-4? 3 

Lying, 138 

lying Demon, . . . . 238 
Lying, different kinds of, 240 

Mammoth Cave, . . . 258 
Man, Natural, . . 87-251 
Martel, Charles, ... 353 
Martyr, Justin, . . . 437 
Martyrdom of three Chris- 
tian Friends, . . . 432 
Martyrdom of the Theban 

Legion, 414 

Martyrdom of Maximilian, 430 
Massacre by Saracens, . 450 
Memory of Righteousness, 32 
Memory of Wickedness, 39 
Missions, Protestant, . 391 
Mohammed, . . 349-4'/4 
Mohammedans attempt to 
subdue Europe, . . 481 



CONTENTS. 



Ill 



Page. 
Monarchies, Four, . . 292 
Murder, 151 

Mutual Dependence, . 167 
Mysteries of Paganism, 116 

Napoleon I, Emperor, 391-393 
Natural Man, ... 87 
Nebuchadnezzar's dream, 291 
New Revelations, tfec. . 137 
Nonconformists, . . . 502 
Norwegian vessel, remark- 
able account, . . . 129 

Oracle, Delphic, . . 134 

Parent Eagle, ... 82 

Pardoned Sinner, . . 99 

Patience, 196 

Peace, 103-20 

Penn, Wm., treaty of, . 22 

Persian Monarchy, . . 807 

Peter the Great, ... 389 

Peter the Hermit, . . 363 

Phenecians, .... 299 

Philosophy, Divine, . . 67 

Plato 311 

Pliny's Letter to Trajan, 417 

Pope, supremacy of, . 452 
Presumption, . . . 226-213 

Pride and Folly, . . 13 

Pride of Life, .... 200 

Providences, Cross, . . 161 

Puritans, 383 

Puritans, persecution of, 85 

Resurrection, .... 278 
Revolution, American, 389 
Revolution, French, . 390 
Reign of Terror, ... 391 
Righteous, Future of the, 275 
Righteousness, memory of, 32 
Righteousness of Christ, 206 
Pock of Pefuge, . . . 173 
Roman Monarchy, . . 318 
Rome taken by Alaric, 442 



Sabatai, Sevi, 



498 



Page. 

Sacrifices, Heathen, . 804 

Safe Bridge, .... 204 

Saladin the Great, . . 266 
Sanctification, . . 109-219 

Sanctified Christian, . 105 

Selfishness, .... 201 

Self- Will, 223 

Seven Downward Steps, 222 

Seven Upward Steps, . 216 

Slander, 146 

Slander, Envy and Strife, 26 

Socrates, account of, . 319 

Solomon, Reign of, . . 305 

Spiritualism, <fec, . . 136 

Spiritual Telegraph, . 76 

Stealing, 151 

Stomach, fable of, . . 171 

Sun-Light and Darkness, 112 

Synagogue of Satan, . 197 

Tamerlane, .... 372 

Telegraph, Spiritual, . 76 

Temperance, .... 196 

Ten Tribes of Israel, . 305 

Terror, Reign of, . . 391 
Terror of Sin and Joy of 

Salvation, .... 258 

Three Lives, .... 250 

Tide, dangers of the, . 176 

Time brings up Truth, . 26 

Trials of Faith, ... 143 

Trojan War, .... 301 

Unbelief, 198 

Unexpected Deliverer, . 124 

Unregenerate Heart, . 12 

Unsafe Bridge, . . . 210 

Villi ers, George, Duke of 
Buckingham, ... 19 

Virtue, 194 

Vision, or Picture of Hu- 
man Life, .... 5 

Vision of Constantine, . 435 

Ways of Providence justi- 
fied, 279 



IV CONTENTS. 


Page. 


Page. 


Waldenses, persecution of, 460 


World, History of, . . 291 


Wicked, the Future of, 268 




Wickedness, .... 17 


Zeigenbalg and Swartz, 


Wickedness, desperate, 226 


Danish Missionaries, 51o 


Wickedness, Memory of, 39 


Ziska, John, ... 376 


Wickliffe, John, ... 463 


Zuingluis, the Reformer, 477 


Willingness to suffer, . 415 


*-• 



LIST OF ENGRAVINGS IN THE THIRD PART. 
[religious events.] 



Page. 
Woe ! denounced against 

Jerusalem, .... 410 
Romans destroying the 

Druids, 427 

Conversion Justin Martyr,437 
The Christian Heroine, 416 
Flight of Mohammed, . 4-4 
Henry IV, suing for admis- 
sion to Pope Gregory, 453 



Page. 
Massacre of Waldenses, 462 
Martin Luther, . . . 475 
Solyman defeated before 

Vienna, 483 

Arrest of Guy Fawkes, 492 
Sabatai Sevi, the False 

Messiah, 500 

Worship of the Grand 

Lama, 512 



CORRECTIONS. 

JtgT The following errors were not discovered in time to 
be corrected in this edition : 

129 page, for his, read " captain's face." 
136 " for demoniac conjecture, read " manifestations." 
150 " for you, read " we," — for he, read " one." 
159 " eighth line from the top to be stricken out. 
384 " the word and should precede " England, &c." 












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